Trouble on the Way to Victory
by flint fire
Summary: Ash begins to make a final push towards becoming the Master. While traveling with Misty, someone follows him and it is not who you think. Plus Team Rocket has re-entered the picture. See ch 9 for a short list of reasons for the rating.
1. The Decision

This is the first fanfiction for me so we will see how it goes.

This story will take place after the Unova/Best Wishes arc and will assume that Ash has yet to win a League Title and that Team Rocket has been utterly decimated but is still lurking around. Also, aspects from the games and manga will be sprinkled in with the anime with some changes to the characters so that it would work.

Disclaimer: I do not and probably will never own the Pokémon franchise and don't think I would ever be lucky enough to have such an opportunity to do so.

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><p>Ch1 the decision<p>

After so many years of traveling, he still has not won a league title. He has come close, yet for some reason he can't quite put together the last pieces needed for that championship title. Sure he has won a few tournaments in the past, the Orange League, and defeated all of the Frontier Brains in his home region of Kanto, but those titles are not close to what this young man of almost nineteen had hoped to achieve.

Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town has always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master. There is no denying that he has always dreamt big. It also helps that he always had friends to guide him whenever he went astray and help in attaining that dream.

During his last few travels, he began wondering if just becoming a Pokémon Master is enough, sometimes even wondering if he could even achieve it. He would often think about taking Scott up on his offer to become a Frontier Brain, but would stop himself remembering that he enjoys traveling too much to keep himself cooped up in a Gym type building for too long. Of course he could always ask for a mobile building like Pyramid King Brandon's battle facility, but thought that he might not be able to visit some of his favorite places without attracting a large crowd of people. Sometimes he would wonder how Misty handles constantly being noticed whenever she leaves her Gym in Cerulean and if Brock endured the same while he was Leader of the Pewter Gym. He would expect the same type of crowd if he became a Pokémon Master, but he thought he would have more places to hide in the forests and mountains if he wanted to get away from everyone.

Those were the days, just the three of them, well four if you counted Pikachu. Their meeting was as if by chance. Misty literally fishing him out of the river on his way to Viridian City, and Pikachu fried her bike while trying to escape a flock of Spearow. Brock just got lucky. His dad finally showed his face after a few years of absence and took over the gym while he traveled with Ash and Misty. Some days Ash wished he could rejoin his old friends, convince them to leave their own lives, and travel with him again. He couldn't do it, though. No matter how bad it hurt to separate, he could not stand forcing them to give up their lives just for him. Sure, maybe when he was just starting he could have gotten away with it, but he gained so much wisdom through his travels that he would hate himself for regressing back to his former ways of living.

Ash had changed a lot since he first met Brock and Misty, not just in appearance. He was taller and a little more built, but his hair was just as uncontrollable as ever. He rarely ever wears a hat now, but his attire of black shirt, jeans, and a jacket or vest still remained. His appetite shrank only a little and was more patient as he ate. Even though he stopped making rash decisions all the time, he would still run head on into situations that involved a friend in need. His Pokémon were still some of his best friends he had and always tended to their needs before his own.

Now after his last failed attempt to win a League Championship, Ash decided that it was time to travel on his own starting with a trip to the Orange Islands to unwind. He made sure everyone knew his decision and to expect as many as possible to cheer for him at the next Indigo League Tournament. He thought that this tournament would garner the largest number of friends and family to attendance and would mean the most to him if, no not if, once he won it. It was in Kanto that his journey began, and he felt that it would be a great place to start his final push towards the title of Master.

Ash decided that he would start calling people on the boat ride home. He just finished up talking with Professor Oak about his decision that he decided to finally call his two best friends in the world. First up was Brock. Lucky for Ash, he managed to catch Brock after his classes were done for the day.

"Hello," called a very worn down Brock.

"Hey, Brock, long time no see. How are your classes going?" Ash asked quite enthused to see his friend's face again.

"They're going great. The class load, however, is killing me. Who knew becoming a Pokémon Doctor would become so much work?" Brock replied with quick laugh.

Ash agreed with him. He definitely could not see himself working and studying for as many hours as Brock did. "Sounds great. I was just calling you to say what my plans are. I am planning on traveling on my own until the Indigo League starts up again, but am willing to have some company so that I don't get too lonely. No idea where I will be going, so don't expect me to be in touch all that often. I would ask you to come with me, but I know how much becoming a doctor means to you."

"Thanks, Ash. Well to be honest, I would enjoy traveling with you again. Maybe when I manage to get some time off I can meet up with you for a few weeks."

"That would be great! Next time I call make sure to tell me when that is so we can start planning."

"Anything for you, old friend. Speaking of old friends, when was the last time you talked to Misty?" Brock asked with what to Ash looked like a very mischievous grin on his face.

"It's been a few weeks, but I was planning on calling her after we finished up," Ash replied, almost dreading where the conversation would be heading.

"Is she the last one you are going to talk to before you start your next adventure?"

"Uh, yeah, I was planning on talking to her sooner, but for some reason I just can't seem to figure out what I am going to say to her," Ash said with a faint realization of what he just told Brock.

"I can't imagine why it is taking so long for you to say, 'Hey, I'm going on another journey that will hopefully lead to the Indigo League Title and don't expect me to call all that often because it will be just me and the rest of my Pokémon.' Then again, I'm not the one who has had a crush on her since we met so…"

"Lay off it, Brock. I don't see you with a girlfriend now, do I? I have never taken your relationship advice too seriously, and I don't plan on starting to now." Of course, Ash knew he was right. He just did not want to give Brock the satisfaction of hearing it coming out of his mouth.

"Fine, I will leave it alone, but for your information I just started seeing someone. I won't tell you any more seeing how uninterested you are in the matters of the heart. Besides, I would only be preventing you from making that call. I will talk to you whenever you get a chance. Talk to you later, Ash." With that, the video screen went black with Ash staring at it dumbstruck.


	2. The Return

FYI: Ash and Misty are pretty much meant to be together so as you can expect this will be an AAML story. They won't be fighting as much but that's to be expected when you grow up and truely realize your feelings for the other. They won't get together right away so wait and see how and when.

Disclaimer: Never have and never will own any of these characters or franchise.

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><p>Ch2 the return<p>

The Cerulean Gym was quieter than normal. Only a few trainers came for a Gym Battle during the week, so it provided Misty some time to think about her own life.

She always dreamed of becoming a Water Pokémon Master, but had to put it on hold while her sisters toured the world with their water show. That was seven years ago. She still has to take care of the Gym because her sisters are too incompetent to maintain the Gym and win battles. Misty thought that by now she would have left to go on another adventure with Ash and Brock. Sure, she visited them a few times after they went their separate ways, but it wasn't the same. The last time they spent any decent length of time together was when Ash left to take on the Battle Frontier. They kept in touch after that, but talking to someone though a video phone is nowhere near as special as sitting down around a campfire talking the night away.

Misty thought about their adventures more and more after Ash's mother, Delia, called her a few days earlier. Misty was surprised to hear that Ash was going to travel on his own and hasn't even bothered to tell her yet. Delia saw the pain in her eyes and told Misty, "I am sure he has a very good reason for not telling you yet. Just be patient with him. He may have changed since you last saw each other, but his impulsive traveling and only telling everyone at the last possible moment has not changed. I know he will get around to calling you eventually. You are one of his best friends after all."

There it was again: best friend. That was all they had been for the past nine years. Delia did say that he had changed, but was it the change that Misty had been hoping for since she fished him out of the river. She had turned down everyone who had asked for a date and gave each one very similar answers involving the Gym and the amount of time it takes to keep it running. This was a lie of course, seeing as the evenings were fairly wide open for her. She just could not admit to anyone, except very close friends like Azurill, that she was still waiting for him. Their conversation did not last too long after that, and Misty went back to training her Pokémon.

She kept thinking about what Delia had said for the next few days when she heard a knock on the Gym door. Normally trainers, especially ones that reminded her so much of Ash, would just barge in and demand for a Gym Battle, but seeing as Tracy and some of her other friends would knock before entering it did not surprise her. The thing that did surprise her was the late hour that she heard the knocking. After making sure Azurill was down for the night, she went to the main entrance of the Gym. As she got closer to the door, she managed to make out the shape of a person waiting at the door. It was dark out, and Misty never liked leaving the front lights on unless she was expecting someone. The figure was leaning against one of the columns that helped hold the roof up as it hung out over the main building. She could tell it was a boy but what she found odd was the shape that seemed to be protruding out of the boy's body where his head should be. It looked disfigured and abnormally large from her initial position, but started to see two defined shapes as she got closer and one was moving as if fighting the urge to sprint towards the door. When she finally opened the door, the smaller figure could not hold back any longer and in a flash of yellow, sprinted into her arms.

"Pikachu?" Misty asked, stunned by the sudden appearance of an old friend. "But where's…"

"You wouldn't have thought I abandoned the little guy now would ya?" said the other figure as he moved towards the door.

"Ash, is that really you?"

"Who else do you know that has a Pikachu that sits on a shoulder and gets really excited when seeing an old friend?" He had a point. The only other person who had a Pikachu with any similarity to Ash's was Ritchie's Sparky, and he would never greet Misty like that.

Ash moved closer to give Misty a hug. "I missed you," Ash whispered into her ear.

Her body shivered as he said this and was slowly giving into the warm feeling of safety and comfort provided by his arms. She did not want it to end, but she knew it would eventually would, so she looked up into his face, seeing that she was now a few inches shorter than he was, and said "I missed you too." And as she painfully pulled away, she slapped him across the face.

After the initial shock of what had just happened pasted, Ash thought Misty could hit harder than that, even if he was knocked off balance. He decided not to pursue the force of the hit but the reason behind it.

"What was that for?" Ash asked, trying his best to put on some fake tears.

"What do you think? You show up without any advanced notice and after how our last conversation went, I thought you would have been here sooner. Besides, you mother called a few days ago asking if I knew what your latest plans were. I told her that you said nothing about the future last we talked, so she filled me in. Sounds like you are going to be very busy the next few months," Misty said, with her last line maybe a bit too sarcastically than intended.

"I did not know how to tell you that I was going alone. I know how you get each time I leave for a new adventure without you, so I decided to surprise you and maybe try to convince you to join me. You know, give you an excuse to leave the Gym for one more great adventure. Wait a minute. What made you think I would have gotten here sooner?" Ash asked after processing her entire comment.

"Well, uh, you sounded excited at the chance to have some down time, and I was thinking that you would have spent it with me." Misty tried her best to hide her face because she was turning almost as red as her hair.

Ash seemed to understand what she was saying and smiled. As Misty looked back up at his face, she could not help but gaze into his eyes. She knew her feelings for Ash and felt that any more time staring into the vast sea of chocolate would make her unravel and reveal everything. Before she could, Ash asked her, "Would you consider going with me, Mist?"

His voice brought her back to reality. She had never heard him call her that before and did not mind hearing it. "I thought you said you would be going alone. Me being there would mean you are not alone," Misty quickly explained before her heart took control of her speech.

"I was telling that to most of my friends because I want to be focused on my training. I asked you to join me because you are one of the few that really motivates me to do my best and keeps me focused. Besides, listening to you scream at me is better than staring at your lure for hours," Ash gave a nervous laugh as he finished his explanation.

_Maybe he does feel the same about me_, Misty thought to herself. _And he still has the lure I gave him._

"I would love to Ash, but I still have to run the Gym. You know how incompetent my sisters are, and even though Daisy has tried to help, I don't feel like she could handle it on her own," Misty said, sadly.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but it seems like there is no other choice. Pikachu, ready for a little workout?" Pikachu smiled at his friend mischievously and jumped out of Misty's arms.

"What does that mean?" Misty's face became more confused as Ash walked inside with Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder.

"Oh, we were planning on a small explosion that would damage the Gym enough for you to spend a few weeks with us while the renovations got worked on," and before Misty could process what he just said, Ash sprinted towards the Battle Pool.

"GET BACK HERE ASH KETCHUM!" Misty could not believe that Ash would do such a thing so she followed him into the main arena. When she got there, both Ash and Pikachu were rolling around on the floor laughing.

"What's so funny?" Misty glared at the two as they tried to catch their breath.

"The look on your face was priceless. You actually thought we would do that to your home?" Ash managed to say in between fits of laughter.

After realizing how close he was to the edge of the pool, Misty started to plan a little payback as she walked over to them. "I guess some things will never change. Good one Ash, but I think you forgot something." She held out her hand to help him up.

"Yeah, what was that?" Ash finally got up on his feet, still trying to compose himself.

"Payback's a bitch." Misty pushed Ash into the pool and started laughing herself.

As Ash resurfaced, he finally managed to get a good look at Misty. To say she grew up was an understatement. No one could call her scrawny anymore. To Ash, she looked a lot like her sisters now that she grew up a little, but he always thought she was the prettiest one in the family. He wasn't sure why he thought that at first but could definitely understand now. She grew her hair out a little but still managed to keep her trademark ponytail. Her Cerulean blue eyes shown like stars in the night sky, and he felt like he was looking into the ocean.

Ash pulled himself out of the pool and shook himself off like a Poochyena would, hitting Misty and Pikachu with water as he did. Misty ran to find him a towel to dry the rest of him off and waited on the bleachers for him to return from getting a change of clothes.

"What were you trying to prove by attempting to destroy my Gym?" she asked as soon as he sat down next to her.

"I don't know. Maybe I was hoping you would follow me around like you did expecting me to buy you a new bike."

"You do realize it was never about the bike," Misty said just audible for Ash to hear while staring down at her feet. She was taking a chance with this statement. Maybe by admitting this, she could see his true feelings for her and can make a decision on how to move on with her life.

"I know," Ash said almost as softly as she did.

Misty was startled by his reply and shot her head back up to look at his face. Never before had Ash shown any idea of knowing her true reasons for staying with Ash. "When did you figure it out?"

"Not long after you had to say goodbye to Togepi. I saw how upset you were at first, and it reminded me of when we first had to say goodbye. You truly cared about him, and that's when I thought you felt the same towards me."

"Who knew the great Ash Ketchum could put two and two together?" Misty said sarcastically. "I always thought you couldn't tell what other people were feeling unless they hit you with a mallet."

"I was eleven years old then. How was I supposed to know about any of that? After that, I tried to act just as oblivious as before. I am sure Brock and the others would say I might have gone a little overboard with the idea, but they never really suspected anything. And please tell me you got rid of that thing. I still have bruises from the last time you took a swing at me."

"Why would I want to get rid of that when it is so much fun watching you guys cower in fear whenever I bring it out," Misty said with an evil grin creeping across her face. "I guess I'm impressed. A little confused with your logic, but I don't think anyone will be able to understand your thought processes."

"You're right about that, Misty." Again Misty had no idea what had happened. _Ash actually agreed with me! Who would of thought he changed that much._

Hours had passed and it was almost midnight, but the two stayed on the bleachers talking until Misty started to drift off to sleep. She let her head rest on his shoulder like she used to when Jigglypuff used to sing them to sleep. Ash did not disturb her. The only time he shifted his position was to lie down and go to sleep, making a pillow out of the towel for Misty's head.

Now where was Pikachu during all of this? He snuck out of the Battle Arena to give the two some privacy. Pokémon are a lot like the family dog: they sense when something changes, whether it is good or bad. Pikachu could tell that something amazing was going to happen between his two favorite humans and left them to their own devices. Once alone, he went to search for Azurill. He had to make sure that Azurill would not be scared when she realized that Misty was not asleep next to her.


	3. That Morning

So, my first two chapters went over pretty well. Here is the next one. At this point, I am starting to work on chapter 39 and who knows how long it will be. I also don't know how often I will update. It will depend on how I feel my edits of the chapters go.

Also, a few things I may want to point out just so that there is no surprises. I feel that the whole four moves thing is kinda odd. It works for the games but if this were in any way real, they would not forget the moves they already knew that easily. Basically what I'm saying is that there will be battles where more than four moves will be used. Also starting next chapter, more familiar faces will appear. I won't spoil anything but just be prepared.

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><p>Ch3 that morning<p>

"Like, good morning little sister! And who do we have here?"

Misty's eyes shot open at the sound of her sister's voice. She thought last night was an incredible dream, but once she heard Daisy's voice and the question registered in her brain, she could not help but smile. As uncomfortable the bleachers are, she had the best sleep she had had in years. She slowly sat up and stretched.

"Morning, Daisy. What time is it?" Misty asked hoping she did not have to explain the previous night's encounter in too much detail.

"Oh no, you're not, like, getting off that easy. Is it really him?"

"Is it really who?" said a clearly agitated voice from beside Misty. Ash had the most wonderful dream involving Misty and did not want it to end. "Oh, hi Daisy. Uh, long time no see, eh?"

"It really is you Ash. Our little sister, like, can't stop talking about you."

"I think we should get some breakfast ready," Misty cut in before Daisy could tell Ash everything Misty had told her.

A loud grumble came from beside Misty. "Heh, heh, sounds like my stomach agrees with Misty."

"Fine, but you all, like, have to tell me what happened last night. You two, like, looked so cute together." Daisy left the two to start preparing breakfast for the Pokémon.

"Should I be worried about food poisoning or something? I have had your cooking, and I don't want to relive that experience," Ash asked hoping that cooking did not run in the family.

"Don't worry about it. I do most of the cooking around here now. Don't run away Ash!" It was too late. Ash jumped to his feet and sprinted towards the kitchen to make his own breakfast.

When Ash arrived in the small kitchen, he saw Pikachu and Azurill were already up on the counter begging to be fed. Ash looked around for a bottle of ketchup and Pokémon food for the two of them.

"I can't imagine how he enjoys drinking that stuff without anything with it." Misty finally entered the kitchen noticing Pikachu downing the bottle of ketchup.

"It's hard to explain. He's tried to tell me, but the only words I can make out are 'ketchup,' 'good,' and 'more.' Just goes to show, even trainers with the best connection with their Pokémon can't understand them all the time."

Pikachu finished off the bottle with a loud "Chaaa!" and waddled over to sit on Ash's shoulder. Once secure on his perch, Pikachu gave Ash a good morning cuddle and a look like he was expecting interesting gossip.

"I won't tell you anything till we leave on our journey," Ash whispered into his little buddy's ear.

Obviously not pleased with his response, Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt that left Ash sprawled across the floor. While momentarily unconscious, Misty made her way over to the stove to prepare omelets for everyone.

Ash had finally got back up after smelling eggs cooking in a frying pan. His dream of eating a decent meal was all but crushed once he realized who was standing over the stove top.

"Oh no, you don't! I did not come all this way to die because of something you made me eat!" Ash ran over towards Misty and grabbed her hand. _This actually feels kind of nice. I could, wait. What am I thinking! She's about to kill us with her cooking. Have to stop her._

"Will you just relax? Believe it or not, your mother taught me how to cook the last few times I went to visit. Just give me one more chance, and I promise to never make you a meal for as long as I live if you don't like it." She too had a relaxed feeling when he held her hand but tried to continue making their breakfast. Once he let go and agreed to give her food one last try, she started on the omelets once more.

Daisy had finally come back from feeding the rest of the Pokémon and told Ash that Lily and Violet would not be around for another two days. "They're, like, off getting discovered by some modeling agency in Saffron and said that it will take, like, another couple days to finish up their contracts and stuff."

Ash was quite happy that it was just Daisy around instead of all three sisters. He could barely stand them and knew all the questions would be about the supposed relationship he had with Misty. "So Ash, why are you, like, here anyway?"

Ash did not know what to say at first, but decided on telling her at least part of his reason for showing up. "Well, I am going to be traveling again, and I wanted to tell Misty that it was just going to be me and my Pokémon until the Indigo League Tournament begins again."

Daisy did not seem to accept that as the real answer. For a ditzy blonde, she still had a fair bit of smarts when she needed them, which in her case was about twenty percent of the time. "I don't think you're, like, telling me the whole story. Misty, you want to, like, fill me in."

"It's just like he said. He was just updating me on his plans." No matter how hard she fought, though, the blush started showing itself to Daisy's pleasure. That's when Daisy got an idea.

"There's, like, no reason you should be all alone, Ash. You, like, need somebody to make sure you, like, don't get into trouble. I know! Why doesn't Misty, like, join you?"

"Are you sure about this Daisy?" Misty asked. "You know I don't trust you three running the Gym while I'm away."

"Would you, like, just give us a chance? I have gotten better at, like, battling and everything, and Tracy comes by often enough to help out. It, like, should be no problem."

Ash was about to say something when Misty gave him a look that said don't fight it. "Fine, I'll go as long as Ash is okay with it."

Ash was clearly confused now. He decided it was for the best if he just agreed with the two women. "Of course you can come with me, Misty. You just better not get in the way of my training."

"Since when have I gotten in the way of your training? Your stomach does that more than enough that no one needs to." As Misty was placing the omelets in front of everyone, she whispered "Thank you" into her sister's ear before sitting down to watch Ash inspect his omelet.

After poking it a few times to make sure it would not run away from him, he closed his eyes and tried a small portion. It was not great, but it also wasn't terrible. He had definitely eaten worse tasting things before, but figured he could tolerate eating Misty's cooking for the time being.

"So?" Misty asked after Ash prepared for a much larger second bite.

"Better than expected. I could get used to eating like this on our travels."

"Good, but remember, I am holding you responsible for making our meals every once in a while. Who says I have to do all the work?"

Opting not to answer that, Ash continued to work on his omelet. As he used to, Ash finished before everyone else and waited for everyone to finish by messing around with Pikachu and Azurill. Daisy had some errands to run before opening the Gym, so she said her goodbyes and warned Ash to be good to Misty, or else he would have the entire family out to get him. Once breakfast was finished, Misty left to her room to start packing.

Ash waited outside with Pikachu. He couldn't help himself thinking about finally being with Misty after all this time. Sure, they weren't technically a couple yet, but he had a plan that would change all of that. Once Misty with Azurill in her arms came outside, he called out Charizard.

"Why did you call out Charizard? I thought he was still in the Charicific Valley?"

"We had a long talk about our goals and agreed that we can work together to achieve them. Of course, when everything is over, he can go back if he wants to. As to why he is here, I have to find some old friends, and Charizard is the only one who can get us to the places we need to be fast enough. You think you're ready for two passengers, buddy?"

Charizard sent a Flamethrower at Ash's face and nodded. After brushing himself off, Ash helped Misty get settled on Charizard's back before climbing on. With a giant leap and a flap of his wings, they were in the air. Ash made sure Misty was comfortable and wrapped his arm around her waist initially to prevent her from falling. After a while, Ash was convinced that they were meant to be together like this and did not let go. Misty was grateful for this because she did not want the feeling of safety to go away. _Will this always be how I feel in his arms?_

They felt free in the sky and thought nothing could stop them from achieving their dreams. Little did they know someone was following them.


	4. The Reunion

This one is a little less AAML, actually a lot less, and more let's get the main story going a little bit. I am posting a new chapter already mostly becuase I woke up feeling like crap. Physically, I am drained, but my mind is still relatively sharp to make minor adjustments.

As the chapter suggests, this will be mostly about Ash reuniting with some of his team. Not everyone will make an appearance this chapter but they will come eventually. Also, at the time I am writing, Best Wishes has yet to be finished so unless otherwise stated, I will refer to them as a whole instead of naming them individually. One more thing, the thing I was going for at the end of this chapter description wise was to give a basic form for you to recognize until he makes his full entrance. That and think Indiana Jones hat. You will know what I am talking about when you get there.

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><p>Ch4 the reunion<p>

"Okay Charizard, you can land here," Ash called to the fire dragon. With a grunt of understanding, Charizard began his decent and landed just outside Viridian Forest.

"Why are we here? You know I don't like this place." Misty looked scared and did not want to get off Charizard.

"Don't worry about it. I know how much you hate bugs, and we don't have to enter the forest unless he doesn't come out. Ready, Pikachu?" As Ash helped her off Charizard, Pikachu hopped back onto Charizard and gave Ash a small nod. "Great, make sure you bring them all out here."

"What do you mean by 'he' and 'them'? Who are you looking for?" Misty asked as Charizard started circling the tree tops with Pikachu calling out to someone.

"Remember when we left for Johto, I had to leave someone behind to protect the younger Pokémon. I promised to return and now seems like as good a time as any to fulfill that promise."

Before she could think about who he was talking about, Charizard began flying back towards them, but a rather large flock of Flying Pokémon were close behind him. It only took her a few seconds to realize who was flying right beside Pikachu and Charizard.

Pidgeot and the rest of his flock were all following Charizard towards them. Once they landed, Ash ran up to Pidgeot and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry it took so long. I haven't been in the area for quite some time." Pidgeot seemed to understand and embraced him in his wings.

As Misty watched the two friends get reacquainted with each other, she started to look around at the rest of the flock. They had grown in number since they last saw them and quite a few had evolved into Pidgeot. _Maybe he wants to rejoin Ash's team now that there are more than one Pidgeot to protect the flock._ She thought to herself. It was obvious that Ash was thinking the same thing, but before he could ask Pidgeot if that was the case, he got tackled to the ground. No one knew what was going on until they heard a very familiar voice.

"Free, Free!" It was Butterfree. Ash was definitely shocked to see him, and when he got up, he saw not only his Butterfree, but his mate and what looked like an entire family of about thirty.

"Hey Butterfree, how are ya? Obviously the mating season went well for you." Ash laughed and Butterfree started rubbing his face against Ash's cheek. Then, Butterfree moved on to Misty. Out of all the bug types she had encountered, Butterfree was one of the few that she could stand to be around.

"Nice to see you to, Butterfree. It's nice that you remembered me after all this time. Now why are you here? I thought you would stay at the breeding grounds." She was curious, but quickly had her question answered when Butterfree flew back over to Ash and sat on his head.

"You wanted to come back and travel with me didn't ya?" Butterfree's cries became more excited, and then he looked over at his family. Ash immediately understood what Butterfree was trying to tell him. "Of course they can join us. If the rest of them don't mind flying for a little while longer, I will take all of you to Professor Oak's lab. Same goes for you Pidgeot."

Pidgeot gave Ash another hug, and Butterfree grew even more excited. Before they took off, Pidgeot said his final farewell to his former flock and let Misty climb onto his back. Misty told Pidgeot that he could have brought the rest of the flock with him, but he just shook his head and kept flying. The flight to Professor Oak's did not take very long, and Ash told everyone to land near the front door. After waiting a few moments, Tracey opened the door.

"Hey Ash, wasn't expecting…Whoa!" Tracey's mouth fell open at the sight he beheld. "Where did you find all of these Butterfree?"

"Well, one of them is mine. I released him not long after starting my journey so he could be with his mate, the pink one. We kinda ran into each other this morning when I went looking for Pidgeot. As you can probably guess, the rest of them are Butterfree's family." All this was said as Ash helped Misty off of Pidgeot.

"Hey, Misty, I thought Ash was going to travel alone."

"So did I, but Daisy practically begged me to leave with him. Speaking of Daisy, you may want to spend more time at the Gym. I still don't trust her to run the Gym properly." Misty informed Tracey.

"I will see what I can do," Tracey said nervously.

"It's not like you need an excuse, Tracey. You practically have been begging Professor Oak to send you to the Gym every time I've visited," Ash said with a smirk on his face. He understood what was going through his friend's head and thought that having Tracey as a future bother-in-law would not be such a bad idea. _Why am I thinking about marriage? That won't happen for a long time if I am lucky._

"Why don't you guys go out back while I go find the professor? I am sure you want to talk to him about what to do with all the Butterfree." Tracey, slowly turning red, quickly changed the subject to prevent Misty from making any comments about him and Daisy.

"Sure, we'll see you in a bit." Misty started walking away, but noticed Ash had stayed put. "Aren't you going to join us?" Misty asked.

"I have to make a call first. Don't worry. It shouldn't take long, and I'll be out before you know it." Ash then followed Tracey inside.

_What's he up to now?_ Misty just rolled her eyes and made her way to the fields behind the laboratory.

Charizard had already gone ahead to alert the others that Ash was on his way. They all gathered around Snorlax, mostly because he was asleep and no one wanted to move him. As Misty approached the group, all but the Sinnoh and Unova Pokémon and Snorlax ran up to her. She was not at all surprised by this, seeing as she did not know any of them either and Snorlax only wakes up in the presence of food or Ash.

Eventually Bayleef made her way up to her. She did not like when other Pokémon or humans got close with Ash and could tell when they did. Once she detected Ash's sent on Misty, she ran back towards the lab to find comfort in Ash's arms.

_I shouldn't be surprised. She has always been jealous of anyone close to him._ With that thought in her head, she released Politoed, Psyduck, Staryu, Gyarados, and Corsola. Azurill hopped out of her arms and went over to play with Bulbasaur. After everyone got reacquainted with each other and the Sinnoh and Unova teams introduced themselves, Ash started walking over with Bayleef close to his side, Tracey, and Professor Oak with Muk wrapped around his waist. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder to say hi to everyone.

"What's in your hand, Ash?" Misty had just noticed a Poké Ball in his hand.

"You will see in a moment. Hey everyone, I have someone you might want to meet. A few of you may already recognize him, but he has changed a lot since you last saw him."

Ash threw the Poké Ball in the air, and it opened with a flash of light. Right under the spot it opened, a rather hairy Pokémon began to materialize.

"Primeape!" The new Pokémon looked a little confused as to what had happened, but turned around at the sound of Ash calling his name. He ran over to him with tears in his eyes but stopped once Bayleef sent out a Vine Whip in his direction.

"Stop it Bayleef! He's just happy to see me after all these years." Bayleef looked at the ground with a sorry look on her face. "Don't be upset. You didn't know who it was. It's an honest mistake. Anyway, I have a little surprise for you, Primeape." Ash bent down to unzip his backpack and pulled out a hat. Not just any old hat, it was the same hat that Primeape had stolen when he was just a Mankey. Ash gave it to Primeape, who put it on his head and began to cry.

"Come here. I know how happy you must be seeing that old hat again." Ash pulled the crying Pokémon into his arms and did his best to calm him down.

"How touching reunions can be," Professor Oak stated as they all witnessed the emotional reunion. "I hate to break this up, but I think you will be very interested in what I am going to show you, Ash."

"What is it?" Ash asked as he finally pulled away from the still sobbing Primeape.

"It is a new prototype Poké Ball designed specifically for Pokémon a trainer has released back into the wild. These should be able to recapture the Pokémon without having to do damage to them. I can already see that you are in need of two of them right now. These are still prototypes and many people are unsure as to how they will sell considering very few people want to go looking for released Pokémon." The professor pulled out two Poké Balls that had a clear top shell and the normal white bottom. He then explained that the clear part of the ball would change color to that of the Pokémon as well as all of the technical explanations behind how the balls work. Ash threw the two the professor gave him and recaptured Butterfree and Pidgeot without any struggle. Butterfree's ball turned purple while Pidgeot's ball turned a light tan color.

"Awesome! Do you have any more, professor? I will only need one more."

"Of course I do! Who are you looking for now?"

"That's an easy one to answer, Professor. Ash is going to look for Lapras." Tracey had finally spoken after realizing keeping quiet might not be the best thing to do after his conversation with Ash and Misty at the front door.

"I see. I have been in contact with Professor Elm recently, and he mentioned that a Marine Pokémon Researcher has finally mapped out the Lapras migration pattern. If I remember right, your Lapras was made leader of the pod she was studying when you last saw each other."

"That's right. I don't want to separate Lapras from his friends, but just in case he wants to return, I want to be ready," Ash said with small smile on his face.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Lapras not wanting to rejoin your team, Ash. All of your Pokémon would gladly return to you no matter how long you have been apart. Just look at Primeape, Pidgeot, and Butterfree. It has been almost ten years since you last saw them and now, here they are." Misty did her best to make him feel better, and it seemed to work.

"You're right, Misty. I have nothing to worry about." The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out with all of Ash's Pokémon and preventing his herd of Tauros from destroying the fencing.

Meanwhile, in a tree observing the events that had just transpired, a man in a trench coat and a large fedora pulled down over his eyes and a Lucario began discussing their plans.

_I know he wants to become the greatest Pokémon Master, but why does he choose to ignore the power inside of him. Doesn't he realize that it will only help him in the future?_

_Don't worry Lucario. He still has time to understand his purpose here. He is, after all, the Chosen One._

_When should we reveal ourselves then?_

_After he wins the Indigo League. There will be no point in breaking the news to him before then. He already has a lot on his mind._

_Winning the League is the only thing I can sense on his mind._

_That is because you are still getting accustomed to using your aura. In time, you will see that winning is only the second most important thing in this man's life._

_When will that be?_

_Give it time, Lucario. For now, let's go back to the mountains of Sinnoh and continue your training._

With that, the two figures teleported with an Alakazam between them.


	5. Home

Ok, this will have a little AAML towards the end but not too much. Then again, Pikachu will finally get some answers and that will imply at least a little bit more.

To be honest, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. I am not too pleased with how it turned out so I might be starting it over. It may take a while to do because of all the school work I have to do this weekend and possibly until spring break (crazy me had to pick Biochemistry as my major).

Anyway, I kept the night time chat with Misty a little short this time around. I didn't want to waste all of the good conversations within the first few chapters. Plus, it gets into a little of Ash's plans for the upcoming year.

Enough of me, on with the story.

* * *

><p>Ch5 home<p>

As night time approached, Ash and Misty said goodbye to everyone and headed towards Ash's house. Ash could not help but feel that someone was exploring his mind while he was with his Pokémon. He knew none of his Pokémon were Psychic or knew how to manipulate aura and was very certain Misty could not either. He did not want to tell Misty about this because he did not know if she knows what aura is, and he did not want her to think he is crazier than before. A few questions floated in Misty's head that needed answers.

"So Ash, how did you convince Anthony to give Primeape back?" She figured that was the only question she could get a straight answer to.

"Well, it turns out the previous tournament Primeape was in was going to be his last. He was an eight time undefeated champion, and Anthony felt that it was time to call it quits before Primeape really hurt himself."

"And he thought training with you would decrease his chances of getting hurt? Actually, I can see that. You are the one that always ends up on the short end of the stick when it comes to training." Misty laughed at this statement, remembering all the times Ash had been electrocuted by Pikachu by a misplaced Thunderbolt or fried by an angry Charizard.

"That was only in the beginning. I have improved a lot since we last saw each other. I can sense when an attack is going to hit me," Ash said as he puffed up his chest, acting all macho for Misty's amusement.

"Then explain how I easily pushed you into the pool last night."

"I let you?" He did not quite understand why he phrased it as a question and was sure she would bring it up. "I mean, it was pretty obvious that you were going to shove me into pool. I just wanted you to think that you could still push me around like the old days. Besides, if you didn't, we might not have had that wonderful night together."

With that, Pikachu's ears perked up, and he noticed Misty blushing. Maybe he was finally going to tell him what happened last night. "Don't get your hopes up little buddy. All we did was talk and fell asleep on the bleachers." Still unpleased with the answers he was getting, Pikachu was about to launch another Thunderbolt at Ash but was stopped when Mr. Mime came running out the front door.

Before either of the two could do anything, they were pushed inside and directed towards the kitchen table.

"I was wondering when you two would get here. Dinner will be ready in a moment." Delia was getting the finishing touches done on their dinner.

"How did you know it was going to be the two of us?"

"Professor Oak called a few minutes after you left. It is such a surprise to see Misty here. You two look so sweet together."

"Mom!"

"You should know better than to come home with a friend and not tell me first. But, I am just so happy to see how much my little Ash has grown." Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"It's okay, Mrs. Ketchum. Ash really didn't say anything to me about what his plans are for the upcoming year, and I am going to be traveling with him." Misty gave Ash a light slap on his arm. "You never tell us anything until you're about ready to leave."

"It's not my fault I don't plan ahead." Ash sat down at the dinner table with his arms crossed and an angered look on his face.

"I'm pretty sure it is," Delia said trying to hold back a laugh. "Now, let's eat."

The conversation for dinner was geared around the night before and how Misty ended up agreeing to join Ash on his journey. Of course, they left out a few details so that his mom wouldn't get too excited. He did not tell her about his plans mostly because he did not trust her to keep it secret while Misty was around.

After everyone finished eating and helped Mr. Mime clean the table, everyone gathered in the living room to discuss the plans for the journey. "The tournament isn't for another year, so I was thinking about traveling to Sinnoh and Hoenn for a few months after we find Lapras before coming back here and training in Johto and Kanto. There are some Pokémon that I saw that I would like to try and capture to round out my team."

"I have never been to Sinnoh and only got to spend a little time in Hoenn, so that sounds good to me. Plus it will be a great opportunity to find all sorts of Water Pokémon that I have never seen before like your Buizel." Misty's eyes started to shine at the idea of meeting new Water Pokémon, and Ash let out a light chuckle. "And what is so funny?"

"I don't know how much time will be spent looking for Water Pokémon when the goal of the trip is to help me train for the Indigo League."

Anticipating what she perceived as another one of their long winded arguments, Delia spoke up before Misty could answer. "That's enough you two. If you intend to fight with each other all night, you won't have enough energy to get going in the morning. Well, I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning, Sweetie."

Now Ash and Misty were alone with Pikachu and Azurill, and that didn't even last that long. Pikachu convinced Azurill to give the two humans some privacy and ran off upstairs to Ash's room.

"So, what Pokémon are you planning on finding when we get to all those places?" She was very curious as to what his plans were and wondered if it involved her precious Water Pokémon.

"You will see. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Besides, you need to experience these places for yourself. Brock and I have told you about our adventures, and now it's time to make our own."

"Fine, just promise me we will spend some time fishing. It would be a shame if I went to these amazing places and didn't come home with awesome Water Pokémon." She was starting to get a little tired and leaned in to his chest.

"Anything for you, Mist," Ash whispered into her ear. His breath tickled, and she moved in closer to him. _That's so sweet. I can't believe he has changed so much. He is still the same Ash, though, just more mature._ And with those pleasant thoughts swirling through her head, she fell asleep.

Ash did not want to wake her but knew he had to get her to her room for the night. She looked so peaceful curled up against his chest, almost like an angel. When he finally decided to try and wake her up to go upstairs, she would not wake up no matter what he did, so he decided to carry her to the guest room. He did not have much trouble lifting her upstairs, and as he walked, Misty curled up in his arms and smiled as she slept. After he laid her in bed and pulled the covers over her body, Ash whispered "Night, Mist" and could have sworn he saw her smile grow wider when he said it.

He made his way to his own room and found Pikachu and Azurill still awake. He told Azurill where Misty was and to make sure to keep quiet. Once Pikachu and Ash were alone, he got ready for bed and laid down next to his starter. Pikachu nudged him, and gave him a look that Ash took to mean, "Tell me now or you won't wake up tomorrow."

Ash shook his head. "You wouldn't go through with it. You're too attached to me. Besides, who knows you better than I do?"

Pikachu started emitting sparks from his cheeks and was about to strike. Ash started to freak out at the possibility of Pikachu actually going through with his treat and quickly said, "Okay, okay, I guess I do owe you an explanation."

Pikachu stopped charging and relaxed knowing that he was finally going to get some answers.

Ash let out a sigh of relief before he began his explanation. "Alright, now what I told you on the way home was true. That's all that happened. We talked about why I was there, and we drifted off to other things. You were right; she did travel with us for reasons other than her bike."

Pikachu gave him an arrogant nod and begged him to continue.

"Well, other than that, we spent the rest of the night catching up. We had a good time and just fell asleep on the bleachers."

Pikachu was a little sad that that was all that happened but perked up when Ash asked, "Do you want to know the real reason why I asked Misty to come with us?"

Pikachu nodded eagerly and moved closer to make sure he caught every word he said.

"Alright, but promise me you won't say a word to anyone else. This is just between you and me." Pikachu nodded again and let Ash explain what he was planning to do. It did not take long for him to explain mostly because Pikachu always knew his feelings for Misty even when he did not. When he finished, Pikachu smiled and rubbed his cheek with Ash's.

"I thought you would like it. Now let's get some sleep. We have quite a bit to do before we find Lapras." He gave Pikachu one last scratch behind the ear and went to sleep. Pikachu curled up right beside him, and both dreamed of the wonderful future they had in store.


	6. Time to Leave

I decided to give Ash a little hobby. Nothing too big, but it will save an explanation later on in the story. It's something that I have some interest in but have not done personally. I might when I am out of college but who knows.

Anyway, I am kind of amazed with the positive reviews I am getting. Everyone obviously things my writing is better than I think it is, but hey, what do I know. I am a science major after all. I am not too pleased with this one but oh well. It is not completely overly important to the overall story, mostly a transition piece.

One last thing, I will be taking a pretty long break from writing. I got some bad news this weekend from home. My grandfather passed away. I don't know when I will get back into writing this, but I hope that I can continue.

* * *

><p>Ch6 time to leave<p>

Misty awoke the next morning with the realization that it was not Ash that she held in her arms but her pillow. She looked around the room and realized that she was in the guest room. _That was nice of him to bring me up here. He probably didn't want his mom to find us asleep on the couch like Daisy found us on the bleachers._

She looked down at the foot of the bed and saw Azurill curled up with her tail. She nudged her awake and set off downstairs to think about breakfast. Azurill was still a little tired and went back to sleep once she was set down on the kitchen table. Delia was already up making pancakes.

"Morning, dear." Delia greeted Misty with her warm smile.

"Morning, is Ash up yet?"

"You know as well as I do that he won't wake up before noon unless you force him." Both women chuckled at this comment, and Misty decided to go wake him up.

The door was open slightly so she knew it was safe to go in. She looked around the room and was amazed to see all of his accomplishments on display. Hanging on the walls where his various plaques and certificates from the various events and contests he had participated in including his Frontier Symbols. On his desk, she recognized the Orange League Trophy. There were a few trophies next to it that she did not recognize but figured they were from when they were separated. Sitting on the desk as well were a few miniature wooden statues. She remembered that Ash told her about the Teddiursa May gave him but did not know where the others, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu, and Charmander, came from. They looked professionally done and figured she would ask about them later. The last thing she saw was a picture. It was from the party after Ash competed in the Indigo League Tournament. Brock was standing with his arms crossed while Ash had one of his arms draped over his shoulder. His other arm was wrapped around her shoulder as she gave a wink at the camera while holding up a peace sign. She smiled as she remembered that day. _Those were the days. I can't believe that we are going to be traveling again just like old times._

She finally let her gaze rest on Ash. _What a shame to wake such a peaceful sleep. He still looks like he did when we were camping with not a care in the world._ The thought was interrupted by a loud snore that came from his direction. _Way to ruin the moment, Ash._

Misty went to sit at the foot of the bed. Pikachu felt the bed shift slightly and woke up staring into her face with a smile on his.

"Morning, Pikachu. You want to help me wake up your Snorlax of a trainer?"

"Pika." He nodded in agreement.

"Alright, on three. One…Two…Three."

Pikachu let out a Thunderbolt that caused Ash to jump three feet in the air and fall off the bed.

"Why did you do that Pikachu? I already, oh, morning Misty," said a disgruntled Ash, picking himself of the floor.

"You already, what?"

"It's nothing. We just talked after I got you to bed last night. He can be very nosey when he wants to," he said as he glared at his giggling Pikachu.

"What did he want to know?"

"Well, he wanted to know what we are going to do after we find Lapras, but I told him that I wanted to wait and tell both of you what the plan is." This was not a complete lie, but a lie just the same. Misty could tell he was hiding something, but decided not to press the matter. At least, she was too hungry to do so.

"Anyway, I told Pikachu to do it. Your mom is almost done with breakfast, so I suggest you hurry up." Misty then got off the bed and walked quickly out the bedroom door.

"You know you don't have to listen to her." Ash gave his yellow mouse another angry look.

"Pika Chu," Pikachu said, sounding pleased with his work and ran out of the room to find his morning bottle of ketchup.

Ash quickly got dressed and joined everyone at the kitchen table. Everyone else had started eating, and Azurill finally woke up.

"Leave some for me!"

"We had to get our food first. Otherwise, you would not have left us any," Misty said sarcastically and continued eating.

"Have you decided who you are going to take with you to start out with?" Delia asked.

"Well, Pikachu of course. I want to spend more time with Pidgeot, Butterfree, and Primeape so that's four. As for the last two, Lapras if he decides to join us and Quilava. If Lapras does not join us, then Totodile. He will not start out with us, but I will call Professor Oak if it doesn't work out with Lapras."

The rest of breakfast was spent trying to get Ash to tell more of his travel plans and Delia reminding Ash to always wear clean underwear.

"I know mom. You keep telling me that before I leave and whenever I call."

Once breakfast was finished and everyone finished packing, they said their goodbyes and headed over to Professor Oak's Lab.

On their way to the Lab, Misty asked, "When did you get those other wood carvings on your desk? I remember you got the Teddiursa from May but don't remember you saying anything about any others."

"Well, when I went to the Orange Islands for a vacation, I met this guy who does a lot of woodwork and specializes in those kinds of things. I asked him to teach me, and he agreed. I surprisingly did quite well and made the others without much trouble. I carry a few blocks of wood around with me so that I can do something when I'm not training or trying to find a meal. I was planning on keeping that a secret because I was going to make everyone something for their birthdays, so don't tell anyone."

"I won't say a word. What are you going to make me?" Misty asked sweetly.

"I already made you something and sent it to the Gym before I left the Orange Islands. I guess you didn't get it yet. Maybe your sisters can send it to you when we know where exactly we will be."

"I guess."

They made it to the Lab, and Tracey answered the door and invited them inside. Ash asked Tracey to find each of the previously mentioned Pokémon's Poké Ball and asked to meet the rest of his team outside.

Professor Oak was outside with Ash's Pokémon, monitoring their behavior as they woke up.

"Morning Professor!" Ash and Misty called out.

"Morning you two, I guess you are going to be leaving soon and want to take a few of your Pokémon with you."

"Yep, Tracey already gave me their Poké Balls, and I wanted to talk to them before we left."

"Good. I have finished observing everyone and need to get back to the lab. I will leave you alone with your Pokémon now. If I don't see you before you leave, good luck and be safe."

"Will do professor, I will be calling you when I want to switch up my team."

"I look forward to hearing from you. So long everyone." Professor Oak gave everyone a wave and walked back to the lab.

"Morning everyone, I have already decided who I am going to be traveling with, and I want everyone to know that each of you will eventually join us on our journey. While I am away, I want all of you to work together and train with each other. Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Noctowl will be in charge of your training schedule, making sure everyone is participating and achieving your potential. Professor Oak will let you know if there is anything specific I want each of you to work on. Is everyone okay with this?" All of his Pokémon nodded in agreement, even if Bayleef was reluctant to do so.

"Great now, Pidgeot, Butterfree, Primeape, and Quilava will start out with us and Totodile may join within the next week or two depending on if Lapras agrees to join us. I look forward to seeing the progress the rest of you make while I am gone and good luck." Bayleef looked stunned that she was not included in the first group chosen.

"Don't worry Bayleef. You will get your chance. Besides, how will everyone else know how strong you are if you spend all your time with me?" He gave her a wink and that seemed to cheer her up enough to give Ash a goodbye Body Slam.

"Come on Ash. Stop messing around. We have places to go before we leave for Hoenn and Sinnoh," Misty yelled impatiently.

"Fine, see all of you later." After a wave and returning his Pokémon, Ash and Misty set out to find Lapras.


	7. Sorrow and Remembrance

I'm back. Still a little down but this could be my way to heal (and spending time with family helps). It may take a little while for me to update again. I am starting to neglect the chapter I am currently writing so I need to focus on that before I get anymore up. Plus, my head may not be in it as much as it used to, but hopefully time will be good for me.

This is the first look at Giovanni at the end of the chapter. Not a whole lot to it, but it now gets Team Rocket into the story.

Don't get too confused with the chapter title. It will make sense in a few paragraphs, and believe it or not, this was written about four months ago and was intended to happen before real life kicked in (I also have to write a blues song for one of my classes. Ironic, isn't it). Also, Misty begins her expansion which will add a little AAML. It's also kind of short. I couldn't think of anything more to write, and I don't want to give away too much of the Team Rocket plot right now.

I know it might be a little late to ask for reviews, but please do. I enjoy reading the few I get and am curious to see what other people think. I reply to them as quickly as I can.

* * *

><p>Ch7 sorrow and remembrance<p>

It took them almost a week, but they finally found Lapras' pod resting off the shores of Cinnabar Island. As Ash and Misty watched the pod, they noticed that one of them distanced itself from the group. Ash then called out for Lapras, and the lonely Lapras turned his head and stared back at him. Once realizing who it was, he swam towards the shore to meet his former trainer.

"Hey, buddy. Why are you off by yourself instead of with the rest of your pod?" Ash could definitely sense something was wrong. "Hey, where is your mom?"

Lapras started to cry and buried its face into Ash's chest. Ash looked at Misty, begging for some help, so she walked over and started stroking his neck.

"It's okay," she said in a soft, comforting voice. "Did she get captured?"

Lapras shook his head and continued crying. "It's okay. Try and calm down. Did she…oh."

Lapras, understanding what Misty was thinking, nodded and started sobbing louder than before.

"It will be okay. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Ash took out the handkerchief that Misty gave him when they first separated and started to wipe away his tears.

_He is just full of surprises. First the lure and now he brings out the handkerchief. And he understands that Lapras is upset and probably knows why. Wait. No more about how Ash is all of a sudden the perfect guy. Need to focus back on Lapras. _"Hey Lapras, who is that right behind you?" Ash looked up to see who Misty was pointing to. It was another Lapras who looked concerned but at the same time a little annoyed that two humans, a Pikachu, and Azurill were comforting Ash's Lapras.

Lapras looked over at the other and sadly called her over. She swam up to him and wrapped her neck around his. "Is she your mate, Lapras?" Ash asked, hoping to get his mind off his now deceased mother.

Lapras nodded, still tearing up. "I know this is probably not the most ideal time for me to ask you this, but I was wondering if you would be willing to join us on another journey. You don't have to, but I know quite a few friends who would love to see you again."

Lapras looked at Ash and then at the pod. One was paying attention to the conversation between everyone and gave Lapras a nod saying they would be fine without him. Lapras then gave a nod to Ash, but then looked at the female that was still by his side.

"She can come to." Lapras buried his face back into Ash's chest once he said this but this time with tears of joy. "Why don't you catch her, Misty?"

"Really? Are you absolutely sure about this?"_ That is so thoughtful of him._

"Of course I am. What kind of Water Pokémon Master would you be without one?" Ash replied with a chuckle as he threw the special Poké Ball to successfully recapture Lapras. The top shell had turned a deep shade of blue.

"Okay. So do you want to join us Lapras? You will see your mate quite a bit if you do." After seeing Ash capture her mate, the female Lapras agreed and went into Misty's empty Poké Ball without much of a struggle. "Next time we get to a Pokémon Center, I will have to send my sisters Corsola," Misty said noticing that the Poké Ball sealed shut and would not enlarge.

"Don't worry. We need to order ferry tickets to Hoenn soon, so we have to go back to the main part of the island anyway," Ash told her.

"Why Hoenn first?"

"No reason. I have to meet someone when we get there, that's all," Ash replied with a nervous grin across his face. Misty could tell something was up but chose not to press the issue. They started walking back to the Pokémon Center and started discussing what kind of Pokémon they will see and hopefully catch.

xxx

Meanwhile, Giovanni paces in his office. Team Rocket is close to ruin after yet another failed attempt at capturing the Legendary Pokémon needed for world domination.

_Damn it! Why must it always end like this? We have enough Pokémon to create an army, but without those Legendary Pokémon, we cannot succeed. WHY?_

Giovanni slammed his fist down onto his desk and caused it to collapse under the force of the hit. He noticed a few files that he had not seen before had slipped out of a secret compartment in his desk that he did not ever remember having made. He picked up the first folder and opened it. Inside was a detailed experiment that had been done many years ago. It detailed how a fossil of Mew was used to create a Pokémon so strong that it destroyed the laboratory in a fit of rage, leaving no one alive.

The next folder detailed plans for controlling the Pokémon, and Giovanni found the first picture of the creature. It only resembled Mew in a few of its features, but Giovanni could tell that this was no ordinary Pokémon. He found a schematic detailing the armor and enhancers/repressors that it wore.

The third file contained information about the possible whereabouts of Mewtwo. On the last page in the folder, there was a map of Johto with a red circle around Mt. Quena. After seeing that there was no more information in any of the other files, he began thinking back to why he would not have remembered any of this. He then remembered reading that this was the most powerful Psychic Pokémon in the world and could have easily wiped his memory.

He began thinking about how if he could possess this Pokémon one more time, he would have all that he needed to ensure world domination and the downfall of one particular trainer. Giovanni knew that this would be risky, but this was all he had left. He would either succeed in his mission or go down in flames. No other option seemed plausible.

He called for his secretary to set up a board meeting in the morning. He needed to make sure everyone was on board. Anyone who would get in the way would be removed immediately, not just from the organization, but from the world.


	8. Reunited

I'm adding two chapters today. I think that will hold some of my readers over for a while. I decided to do so because Spring Break starts at the end of this week and I want to spend it with my family and friends from high school. Writing will be at a minimum and updates will have to wait until I am back in school.

So, there is some confusion concerning Lapras' gender. I say male, and a few say female. I can see why people would think that. To me, Lapras are rather feminine despite their 50:50 gender ratio. I will say this, the source that I use states that Lapras' gender is unknown. If anyone can find otherwise, please let me know. I may go back and change it if I can trust the source, but Lapras' gender is not that important to me as long as Misty's is the opposite.

Back to the story. A reunion will lead to something big at the end of this one. Plus, you learn a little about their additions on the Hoenn trip. I am saving one reveal for next chapter because it will play a part in moving the story along. Also, I do not like writing a French accent so use your imagination when a certain character comes along.

I will not be detailing every single adventure in this story. There will be times where I will say so much time has passed. This may give me motivation to write some smaller stories that won't completely pertain to this one but are in the same universe.

Again, reviews are greatly appreciated.

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><p>Ch8 reunited<p>

It has been two months since they left Lapras' pod, and Ash was starting to get a little worried. He needed everything to go as planned, and they were only going to be in Hoenn for a few more days. He had already found the Torchic and Mudkip he was looking for, he even found a Mudkip for Misty, but there was one Pokémon in particular he wanted to find. He had called the people who were taking care of him many times about meeting up with him, but they hadn't arrived. Misty started to worry about him, but whenever she would ask if something was wrong, he would shrug his shoulders and say he was fine.

Ash and Misty were staying at a Pokémon Center in Sootopolis City, waiting for the ship to arrive to take them to Sinnoh the next day. Ash got up early to try and make contact again, and was surprised when Nurse Joy told him someone called for him. She directed him to a video phone, and Ash was happy to see who was on the other end.

xxx

Misty woke up and saw that Ash had left Pikachu to sleep. "Hey, Pikachu, where did Ash go?" Misty did her best to let Azurill sleep while attempting to wake Pikachu, but just getting off the bed made Azurill wake up. She told Azurill she was sorry for waking her and went back to Pikachu. He shook his head and was glad to help Misty in her search.

They left the room and saw Ash sitting on a stool in front of a video phone. She could hear a girl's voice on the other end and swore she had heard it somewhere before. She was too busy trying to hide and figure out who it was to listen to what was actually being said when Ash started to speak.

"That will be great. I will see you then. Remember to tell him my plan before you get here. I don't want him to be upset when Misty doesn't show up with me."

"No problem Ash. See you soon." The girl had hung up, and Ash started to turn towards his room when he saw Misty hiding behind a plant. Both of the Pokémon she was with could not help but stare confusingly at her.

"What are you doing, Mist?" He started calling her this more and more lately, and she was quite happy with it. Not wanting to tell him that she was listening to his conversation, she started staring at the plant that had been her hiding place.

"Oh you know, observing this wonderful looking plant here. Were you talking to someone?"

"Yeah, um, listen. I'm going to need to spend some time alone with my Pokémon for a little while today. You know, give them an update on how I think they are doing." Ash tried not to give anything away as he walked over to her but was failing miserably.

Misty liked watching him squirm as he tried to hide what he was planning to do with whoever the girl was but felt a little jealousy rising in her as she thought more about it. "Are you sure it is about your Pokémon or do you just want me out of the way so you can talk more with that girl?"

"So you were listening to my conversation this morning." Ash smiled a little as Misty started to blush. _At least she did not hear all of it, I hope._ "Come on Mist. It's nothing like that. Yes I am going to see her later today, but she is not as important to me as you are. You will understand everything later. I just need some time alone, that's all."

Misty was not totally convinced but knowing she was higher a priority than the other girl made her a little happier. "Fine, then what am I supposed to do while you're away?"

"I hear the fishing is good on the South end of the city. Maybe you will find some rare Water Pokémon. I will meet up with you there later this afternoon"

"I guess I could do that. I haven't been able to catch anything new since that Feebas when we were on our way to Fortree City." That wasn't her only capture on this trip, though. Before that, she had captured a Carvanha, which evolved into a Sharpedo, and a Wailmer.

"And now you get a chance to work with it so that it will evolve into a Milotic that could only wish to be as beautiful as you." As he said this, he brushed away a few loose strands of hair that were trying to cover her face.

"Like the one you made me?" Misty blushed more deeply than before, and he just smiled at her. Daisy sent it to her when they spent a few days with Norman at his Gym in Petalburg City.

She tried to fight the urge to kiss him right there. She was about to give in to that feeling when he said it was time to go. Misty looked a little crestfallen but agreed.

_It felt like the best opportunity, but if everything goes right, the next one will be even better._ Ash thought as he walked out the door with Pikachu by his side.

xxx

Misty had finally reached the beach, set Azurill down, and started to prepare her fishing pole. She was surprised at how quick it took her to get to this spot considering her mind was drifting off to what had transpired that morning. _Did he know what I was going to do and wanted to get away from me? Sure he was pretty dense in the past, but he seems to know more now than he did back then. Plus, based on what we talk about when it's just the two of us, I would have thought that is what he would have wanted._

"Excuse me miss, but I think you are about to stab yourself."

Misty looked up and saw a man standing in front of her. "You're Juan, aren't you?"

"Yes I am. Good thing I was here before you cut up such a beautifully delicate hand." He reached out for her hand and gave it a light kiss. Misty blushed. _Ash hasn't even done that._

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. I was out on one of my walks and saw that your mind might not be in the right place for fishing." He gave her a smile. "Now it is my turn to guess who you are. You are a Gym Leader from the Kanto Region and Water Pokémon specialist. You work with your sisters, even though they worry about their modeling careers more than their Gym careers. That means you are Misty from Cerulean City."

"How do you know all of that?" Misty looked astonished. No one outside of Kanto had ever recognized her before.

"I make it a point of mine to get to know all about the other Water Type Gyms. I also met your sisters while they were on that world tour. Such a pleasant family you have."

"Sure. Absolutely wonderful," Misty said sarcastically.

"You don't sound like you think they are. Is that why you are here fishing instead of at the Gym?"

"Sort of, they ended my dream of becoming a Water Pokémon Master about seven years ago when they left for that tour. Now I am journeying with a friend helping him train for the Indigo League and hopefully find some other Water Pokémon to help at my Gym."

"What a coincidence, I have been looking for a new home for a newly hatched Clamperl. I am sure a Gym Leader like yourself would love to have an opportunity to raise such a beautiful Pokémon." Juan pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt and opened it. He said she was young, but by looking at her shell, Misty could hardly tell the difference. Once it opened though, what she saw was a bit comical. Even though the shell was of normal size, the head inside was far from it. It looked like a marble when compared with the shell.

"How adorable," Misty cooed. Once Clamperl heard Misty's voice and saw Azurill staring at her, she shut herself back in her shell, scaring Azurill in the process. "Oh, you don't have to do that."

"She has been having trouble opening up to others mostly because she is a little self-conscious about her size."

"Oh, then we will just have to work on that now, won't we." Clamperl opened her shell just enough to see that Misty was smiling down at her. Then she opened up completely and started to smile.

"I think she likes you Misty. She's all yours if you so desire."

"What do you think Clamperl?" Misty asked. She took a moment to think but gave her a nod.

"Alright, next time you are at the Pokémon Center, I will transfer Clamperl to you. I will see you then." Juan recalled Clamperl and started to walk farther along the beach.

"Bye Juan. See you later." _Wow. Who would have thought that would have happened today._ Misty picked up her rod and started to walk towards a giant bolder that was siting along the edge of the water and started fishing, not knowing of a bigger surprise that was to come.

xxx

A few hours had passed since Ash left his meeting with the girl he spoke with that morning to find Misty. Ash finally found her sitting on the rock. He made sure she would not see him and turned around. "Now, make sure she doesn't see you until I say it is okay." The small Flying Pokémon gave him a nod and situated himself behind Ash's back as he started to walk over towards Misty.

"How are they biting?" Misty turned around at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, you know how it is. Half the time it is a Magikarp or some random ten year old boy who wants to destroy your bike." Misty gave him a huge grin. "I ran into Juan while I was here. He will be meeting us back at the Pokémon Center. He is giving me a Clamperl to take care of."

"That's great Mist. It will be great seeing him again. Speaking of old friends…" Misty gave him a rather confused look. Ash moved his hand behind his back and lightly tapped the Pokémon behind him. It flew up above Ash's head and stared at Misty for a few moments.

"Togetic, is that you?" Misty started to cry once he flew into her arms and started crying as well. Pikachu hopped down to the rock that Misty was sitting on to explain everything to Azurill. "I missed you so much. How did Ash find you?"

"Remember how I said I was going to meet someone while we were here and that phone call this morning? I was trying to find a way to get Togetic back to you. Queen Sara, yeah she's the queen now, said that her Togepi is now a Togekiss and is capable of protecting the rest of the Togepi."

Misty let go of Togetic and ran over to Ash. She did not think of restraining herself anymore. All she knew was this time it would happen. She was never one for public displays of affection, but this was different. Once she was in his arms, she looked up at him and gave him a kiss. He knew she was going to and met her lips with the same amount of passion. They didn't break apart until they felt the need for air. Afterwards, they just stared at each other, breathing heavily. They knew then that no matter what, they would never be apart. Words were no longer needed for that to be true.

Togetic had joined Pikachu and Azurill on the rock and began talking with each other. Pikachu went on bragging about how he knew it would happen eventually. Togetic was just happy to see his mother happy with the guy she could never stop talking about, and Azurill was excited about the prospect of getting a new "daddy."

Ash was the first to speak. "I love you, Mist. Always have and always will. Sorry it took so long for me to realize it."

"I love you, too. It's not your fault it took so long. I didn't exactly tell you how I felt all those years ago."

"I know, but it doesn't change the fact that I knew I felt something for you then, and it took nine years to finally tell you." Ash pulled her in close and began stroking her hair.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We know now, and nothing will prevent us from being apart."

They had just realized that the sun was setting. As they watched it go down, Ash couldn't help but wonder what could have been if he stopped Misty from leaving that day seven years ago. But like she said, they know now and nothing will change that.

They walked back to the Pokémon Center hand in hand with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, Azurill finding a new spot to sit on Misty's head and Togetic flying above them. Once they entered the Center, they saw Juan waiting for them on one of the couches.

"What took you so long? Oh, I see." He noticed Misty was holding the young man's hand and blushing uncontrollably. He gave her a nod of approval once he realized it was Ash. "Almost didn't recognize you without the hat, Ash. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you to. I hear you have a Pokémon for Misty."

"Yes I do, but I think it will have to wait till morning. Your minds are obviously elsewhere."

"Actually it can't wait till tomorrow. Our boat to Sinnoh leaves fairly early tomorrow morning, and we want to make sure we get there on time." Misty suddenly remembered why Juan was here.

"Alright then, we just need to talk to Nurse Joy, and it will all be taken care of."

After a few minutes, Clamperl was finally Misty's. She decided to send Politoed and her newly evolved Milotic to her sisters so she could spend more time with her. Juan then said goodbye and left for his Gym.

Ash and Misty went back to their room and got ready for bed. They both agreed that they could share a bed as long as Pikachu, Azurill, and Togetic stayed with them, preventing them from doing anything they might regret later. They just wanted to be as close to each other as they could. When they finally fell asleep, they dreamed of the possibilities that lay ahead, not knowing that a dark presence was about to arise.


	9. Plans

For those of you who went straight to this chapter, I will recommend that you go back one so that you can understand what is going on. You missed a rather important part.

Anyone who watched Ash's battle against Elesa think it was kind of sad. The fact that he is still ten years old when he should be closer to sixteen or seventeen this late in the series just baffles me. It's almost like he forgot everything he learned before this point. Anyway, enough of my ranting, I hope the Ash I am writing is more how he should be after everything he's been through.

Now that they are together, they need to talk about some things. An important question will be raised (not necessarily relationship oriented). Read to find out. Oh and guess who's back.

I normally don't ask for much when it comes to reviews. Any good reviews are appreciated and help me feel happier whenever I am thinking about my grandfather. I do have one thing to ask. The section of the story I am working on right now is well into the future and might alter the rating of the story. I am not sure. What I want to know is if the list I will give you will be enough to change it from T to M. Here they are:

Disfigurement of a Pokémon's face (mostly scaring and loss of fur)

Attempted rape

Multiple deaths (most of which are just hinted at, only a few will be written out)

Conversations about mass graves (haven't decided if I will actually show them yet)

The list could expand, but there will be no sex scene. I have my limits on what I will write and that is one of the things that I will not touch. Not saying that our favorite couple won't at some point. It just won't be spelled out in excruciating detail.

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><p>Ch9 plans<p>

The trip to Sinnoh was a long one, but both Ash and Misty knew they needed the time to sort out what direction to go in after they had declared their love to each other. They were sitting in their cabin. Ash was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, and had an arm around Misty. Pikachu, Azurill, and Togetic were watching the sea out of the porthole window.

"What about marriage? Do you even want to, and if so, how long till then?" Misty kept throwing questions like that at him. She just wanted to make sure they would not rush into anything that serious until they both felt ready.

"Of course, somewhere down the line I would like to get married. I don't think getting married at nineteen would make either of us happy. We have so much to do with our own lives before we even start thinking about that. Not to mention my mom would probably kill me if I did."

"I'm sure she would spare you if you were to marry me. You are right, though. It is better to wait until after we figure out what the rest of our lives will be like and see if marriage will fit in to that."

"I think I would be able to squeeze in a wedding in the master plan at some point. Especially if the girl I am marrying is you." He gave her a smile that she gladly returned.

"I am sure you would also want to wait for sex, right?" She could feel Ash tense up at that question.

"Yes I do."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Let's just say whenever it comes into my head, I see my mom holding a bigger mallet than yours and beating me to a pulp before we even get close to each other."

Misty started to laugh. "That's so sweet."

"Cool it Mist. I want to know your thoughts on this as well."

It took a little while to compose herself before she started speaking again. "My parents were never really around, so my sisters taught me about all that stuff. Of course, they are not the greatest role models in the world, so it was not a big deal to see different guys come over and leave the next morning with whatever they were wearing the night before. They said nothing happened, but even then I knew better."

This was the first time Ash had heard her mention her parents. When it came to family, she would only mention her sisters and maybe a distant relative. "What ever happened to your parents, Mist?"

"I would rather not talk about that with you yet. I will tell you eventually, though. I am sure you have your reasons as to why you never talk about your father, just like I have mine about my parents." Ash nodded in agreement. The truth was he never found out what had happened to his father. His mom said he left on a journey a couple years after he was born and when asked when he would return would always say, "Eventually dear" and changed the subject. This never comforted him. He always felt that she was hiding something from him when it came to his father. He had not asked about him in years because of how little time he spent at home, so he guessed it was partially his fault for not pursuing the matter.

"We should be getting close to Twinleaf Town," Ash said as he looked at his watch. "We should probably get everything together before the ship docks."

Misty got up off the bed and started packing everything she needed including finding a Poké Ball for Togetic. Ash only took a few things out of his backpack while on the ship, so he was ready well before Misty was. As the ship neared the port, the two of them and their Pokémon stood on the deck watching a school of Mantyke go by. Misty attempted to catch one, but Ash said it probably would carry her off the boat if she did.

Once the ship docked and everyone got off the ship, Misty called out Lapras and went searching for the school of Mantyke. Ash took the opportunity to call Johanna, Brock, Professor Oak, and his mom. Ash and the Professor talked about how his Pokémon were coming along. Professor Oak said to expect a few surprises next time he switches out Pokémon. His mother, as usual, told him to always wear clean underwear. She was not as shocked as he would have thought when he told her about him and Misty, but she always seemed to know they would eventually be together. He then called Johanna to ask if they could spend a few days at her place so they could rest, plan, and gather supplies for the next leg of the journey. She agreed and told him that Dawn was visiting as well.

Finally, he talked with Brock. "How are ya, Brock? It's been a while since we last spoke."

"I know man. How are you and Misty holding up?"

"We couldn't be better," said a voice from behind Ash's head. Misty had finally come back from her trip around the port, but had come up empty handed. They both agreed to wait until he rejoined them to tell him about their relationship.

"That's good to hear. By the way Ash, I have a few months off starting in a few weeks. Where do you think you will be so I can meet up with you guys?"

"I don't know yet. We are going to be staying at Johanna's for a few days to try and figure that out." Misty did not know who he was talking about but assumed she was a friend they met in Sinnoh.

"Alright, let me know soon. I gotta run. Class starts in five minutes, and I don't want to be late again. Bye guys."

"See ya, Brock," both of them replied as the screen turned black.

"So who is Johanna?"

"She's Dawn's mother. I know I have told you about Dawn right?"

"Yes you have, but are you sure it is alright?"

"I called her before you got here, and she said it was fine. And now you finally get to meet Dawn."

"Great," Misty replied in a rather unenthusiastic way. She really did not want to see another one of his female traveling companions. Sure, she got along with May pretty well, but she had doubts about this one.

As they got closer to town, they noticed someone running up to greet them. Misty had not seen her before, but figured it to be Dawn based on the descriptions Ash had given her. She wore the same outfit that she wore when Ash and Brock were traveling with her and was nearly out of breath by the time she reached them.

"Are you okay Dawn?" Ash asked as she bent over breathing rather heavily.

"Yeah… No need… to worry… I'm fine… It's so good… to see you… again." She managed to straighten up and give Ash a high five like they used to. She then turned to Misty. "You look awfully familiar. I know, you are the lure Ash wouldn't let me use to try and catch his Buizel. He actually got rather defensive when I asked to use it."

"Oh really." Misty smiled at how cute Ash can be when defending things that are close to him.

"Heh, heh, you still ended up catching him, so you really didn't need it."

Dawn sighed. "I guess you're right. We better hurry, though. Mom's making dinner and should be ready soon."

"Sounds good, we haven't eaten in a while." They all set off down the road talking about what the other has been doing since they went their separate ways.

"I was competing in the Hoenn Region Contests. You should see the new combinations I thought up while you were gone. I was thinking about using them in the Sinnoh Grand Festival in a few months. Do you think you will be around for that?"

"I don't know yet. It all depends on how I feel about my training while I am here, and there are a few Pokémon I am looking for. Also, Misty wants to look for some of the region's Water Pokémon, so who knows how long that will take."

Misty was about ready to slap him when Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and ran ahead of everyone. He saw Piplup and Buneary sitting on the front step of Dawn's house and went to say hi. Buneary still had a slight crush on Pikachu and hid her face in her fur. Piplup tried to get her to show her face, but it was no use.

"Don't worry about it, Piplup. It will just take some time before either of them will tell the other how they feel. Trust me. We should know." Ash gave Misty a look that made her blush uncontrollably.

"Wait a minute. You two are together? Brock told me all about you two, but I am sure he would have never expected this."

"Don't be so sure of yourself Dawn. He may be Zubat crap crazy when it comes to love, but he could definitely tell we were meant to be." Ash wrapped his arm around Misty, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

Johanna called everyone inside for dinner. After they ate, Ash and Misty let their Pokémon out for some fresh air after spending most of the day in their Poké Balls. Ash's team now comprised of Pikachu, a newly evolved Typhlosion and Marshtomp, Torterra, Pidgeot, and an Aron he had found injured a few days after arriving in Hoenn. Misty let out Clamperl, Togetic, Psyduck, Staryu, and Lapras. Azurill was already getting acquainted with Piplup. Dawn's team did not change much since Ash last saw her. Piplup, Buneary, Mamoswine, Togekiss, and Pachirisu had all stayed pretty much the same, but now she had a Quilava instead of a Cyndaquil.

After a few hours of talking, everyone started getting ready for bed. Misty was supposed to stay in Dawn's room, but she snuck out once she was sure Dawn was fast asleep. She crept into Ash's room to find him awake.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here."

"Dawn takes too long to fall asleep." She climbed into bed with him, making sure Pikachu was in his proper place. Ash held her in his arms, and they slowly fell asleep.

While everyone was asleep, a man had found a way inside the house and left a note on the dresser in Ash's room. Once he left the house, Lucario was waiting for him so they could continue their training.

_I thought you said we were not going to reveal ourselves yet._

_I did not reveal myself to anyone. I just think he needs a little help when he goes to find his next Pokémon._

_I will never understand how your mind works._

_Nor do I hope you ever will._ The two then disappeared on the back of an Arcanine.


	10. Notes and Secrets

Back from break. Got no school work done, but I enjoyed myself. Seriously considering a change in major, though. Not English or anything of that nature, I am still too much of a Math and Science guy. Aslo, don't know how much work on this I will get done in the next few weeks. With my Spartans with a one seed and the fun that is March Madness, I go nuts.

A major part of the story is revealed. It will deal with aura and how Ash will break the news to Misty. Plus, the contents of the note are revealed.

My first "battle" takes place here. Critique as needed. There will be more battles in the future that will probably need to be revised depending on how this one goes. One thing to keep in mind, I do not enjoy contest battles. They never appealed to me, and I am not a very creative person when it comes to stuff like this.

Also, I am still trying to figure out if I should bump the rating to M. I am just wondering if the subject matter alone would warrant it (see previous chapter for the list). I understand that it will depend on how I write it, but I generally am a bad judge of things like this. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

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><p>Ch10 notes and secrets<p>

Ash woke up the next morning to find Misty had already left. He wasn't surprised. He knew Dawn would have gotten suspicious if Misty was not in her room the next morning. He got out of bed, stretched, and scratched behind Pikachu's ear to try and wake him up. Once awake, Pikachu noticed something was sitting on the dresser. He leaped onto Ash's head and pointed him in that direction.

"What's this?" Ash walked over to it and picked the note up. He looked at Pikachu and asked, "Do you think Misty left this?"

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders. Ash then started to read.

_Ash,_

_I know what you are looking for and thought I might be of service. While in the mountains of Sinnoh, take some time to meditate and allow your aura to make a connection. Make sure you are alone. These Pokémon tend to prefer meeting people that are unarmed and by themselves. You may only bring one Pokémon with you to aid in its capture. I am sure you will like who appears._

_Do not ask how this note ended up in your possession. In time you will know._

There was no name attached to the bottom of the letter, only a few letters D, L, A, and G.

_Who is this from? How does whoever it is know about my ability? I know he says not to ask this, but how did it get here?_ "Do you have any idea what this is about?" Pikachu had a puzzled look on his face that could have rivaled Ash's. "Maybe we should talk to Misty about this. She'd know what to do." With that, Ash got dressed, put the note in his pocket, and went down stairs to find something for breakfast.

Misty, Dawn, and Johanna were already up preparing breakfast when Ash entered the kitchen. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder to say good morning to Azurill and Piplup who were already eating.

"You don't happen to have a bottle of ketchup do you, Johanna?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Pikachu prefers to get his day started with a bottle of ketchup. Don't ask why. Sometimes I doubt he even knows the answer to that."

Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt at his trainer. Johanna was about to go see if he was alright when Misty and Dawn stopped her.

"Don't worry about it. He is used to it by now. Plus, I don't think Pikachu would go full power on his best friend," Misty reassured her.

"Yeah mom, no need to worry."

"I guess if you say it is okay. Just make sure he comes round before breakfast is ready."

Ash got up and made sure the note was still in place. _Good. I don't want to lose that. Misty would never believe me without it._ He sat down at the table with Pikachu on his lap with the bottle of ketchup Johanna had given him. He was deep in thought and didn't notice Misty had sat down next to him.

"You seem kinda out of it. You want to tell me what's going on in there?"

Before he could answer, Dawn and Johanna placed their food in front of them. "Let's eat!" Dawn shouted excitedly.

"I'll tell you later, I promise," Ash whispered into her ear. He really did not want to discuss the note in front of Dawn and Johanna. Yes, they were good friends, but he felt like there was no need to get them involved seeing as it did not concern either of them.

"Not that I want you out of our house or anything, but how long do you think you two will be staying with us?" Johanna asked.

"Depends on what all we need to get before we leave again. It should not be too much, mostly food, medicines and some Poké Balls."

"Most of your basic needs will be here in town. Poké Balls on the other hand will have to be purchased in the next town you get to."

"Alright, then we should probably stay the night and head out tomorrow morning. We haven't had any really decent meal in a while. Nothing against Nurse Joy's meals, it's just not same as a homemade dinner. Plus we both aren't the greatest cooks in the world," Ash said, hoping Johanna would let them stay just one more night and avoiding a slap from Misty.

"My cooking is fine. You're the one who needs lessons." Misty kept trying to hit him until Pikachu started emitting sparks from his cheeks because he was getting uncomfortable in Ash's lap. "Sorry if we upset you, Pikachu."

"That will be fine. I'm sure Dawn would love to spend more time with the two of you."

"Of course I would! Now you can see my new combinations."

"Sure, Dawn. I also need to teach Typhlosion and Marshtomp the Counter-Shield technique. For some reason, Infernape and Buizel couldn't get them to do it. Maybe they will listen to Pikachu." He gave the mouse a little wink. Pikachu returned it with a nod.

"The stores should be open by now. If you hurry, you should have everything you need by lunch time. After that, you will have more than enough time for training."

"Great, see you all later." And Ash ran out of the house.

"I guess I should go with him. He might forget what all we need by the time he gets there," Misty said getting up and picking up Azurill.

"I'll show you the way. The shops aren't far from here, but someone should still direct you to where everything is." Dawn put on her hat and left with Misty. "We'll be back soon mom."

They found Ash standing in front of an apothecary looking at all of the herbs that could be bought for various medicines. "I'm trying to remember what all we need. Why didn't I write it down Pikachu?" Pikachu just sighed and said nothing.

"Need any help, Ash?" Misty had just walked up next to him.

"Uh, yeah," Ash said sheepishly.

"Good thing you have me around or else you would forget to get dressed in the morning." Misty then pushed him inside and started looking around for the most basic essentials.

They spent a few hours at the various shops around town and bought everything they needed before heading back with Dawn to her house.

Once they finished lunch, Ash and Pikachu went out to Johanna's Battle Field and started working with Typhlosion and Marshtomp. "Come on you guys. I'm trying to teach you this move because I think you are ready to use it. Remember how weak you were as a Cyndaquil. You could barely keep the flame on your back going or get it started. You've come a long way since then, and I think you're ready to use this technique. Marshtomp, for some reason you are having some serious accuracy problems with your Water Gun. I want to work on getting your accuracy better before we begin to work on the shield."

It took most of the afternoon, but they finally got it down. Marshtomp still had some accuracy issues that needed to be fixed, but overall, they did well enough to earn a fairly long rest. Dawn came out and wanted to show Ash some of her new combinations.

"I know, let's battle. That will show you my new moves and give you some training to."

"Sounds great. How about a Double Battle? Aron needs some practice, and I want Pidgeot to help her out."

"That's fine with me. I will be using Buneary and Togekiss." And with that, the battle went under way.

Ash made the first move by telling Pidgeot to use Hurricane while Aron was on his back. Despite her small size, Aron weighed a little more than Misty. Pidgeot had no problem carrying her, though, and quickly surrounded Buneary and Togekiss with massive winds. Togekiss could barely hear Dawn call out for a Safeguard. Even though it stopped any direct damage, the two Pokémon were being tossed around in the shield. Dawn then ordered an Air Slash to try and break up the winds.

Once free from the Hurricane, she ordered Buneary to use Bounce to try and hit Pidgeot who was now directly overhead. At the same time, Ash ordered Aron to jump off and use Metal Claw. Aron's front right foot started to shine metallically and claws started to grow from it. The two Pokémon met in midair. Buneary took most of the damage, but was saved from a nasty fall by Togekiss. Ash told Aron to use Iron Defense to negate the damage done when she hit the ground.

When she landed, a large cloud of dust surrounded everyone. Ash took the opportunity to unleash an Air Slash from Pidgeot. He knew Aron would be fine. She had become a lot stronger since they first met.

The Air Slash cut through the dust cloud and hit Togekiss, causing Buneary to fall again. They were not far from the ground this time so any damage done to Buneary was minimal. It was at this point that Misty decided to watch the battle.

Once the dust had cleared, it appeared that Aron had taken more damage than Ash had anticipated. "Don't give up Aron! I know you can finish the battle," Ash called out to her encouragingly. Aron gave a loud cry and started to glow. After a few moments, a Lairon stood in the place of Aron. "Congratulations, Lairon! Now let's finish this, use Iron Head!"

With a loud roar, Lairon's head started to glow and started charging towards Buneary. Dawn ordered an Ice Beam directed towards Lairon's feet. Ash countered with Metal Claw to prevent Lairon from slipping. Once she got close, Buneary used Bounce to get out of the way. Dawn then ordered one of her new combinations. Togekiss used Aura Sphere, and Buneary unleashed an Ice Beam. The two attacks merged and were sent directly towards Pidgeot. He got out of the way, but left Ash open to receive the hit.

Everyone froze and stared at the spot where Ash stood with his arms stretched out in front of him. Everyone assumed it hit him because of the explosion. Once the smoke had disappeared, everyone was amazed to see Ash completely unharmed with his arms in the same position as they were before the explosion. Pikachu, who had been sitting at Ash's feet the entire time, had covered his face with his tail and arms waiting for the hit. When it did not come, he slowly uncovered his face and looked up at Ash a little confused.

"What just happened? Are you alright?" Misty ran over to him to make sure. _This doesn't make any sense._ _How could he have gotten away from that attack without even a scratch?_

"I'm fine. I guess I have some explaining to do." Pidgeot flew back towards his trainer to apologize for allowing him to get hit. "It's not your fault. You were trying to avoid being hit, and that's good. Maybe we should work on some other defensive tactics."

"I think we should stop the battle now." Dawn had run over with Lairon, Togekiss, and Buneary. "Are you sure you are alright? How could you have possibly survived that attack?"

"Like I said, I have some explaining to do. Dawn, you remember when we were on Iron Island, and we stopped Team Galactic, at least momentarily, with the help of Riley and his Lucario? And how when we were trying to find that Riolu Hunter J stole, I was able to find it using aura?"

"Of course I do, but what does that have to do with what just happened?"

"Well, I have known for a while that I have the power to manipulate aura. I am one of the very few who can, Riley being the only other living human that I know of who can as well. It wasn't until recently that I started to develop these powers more. I can sort of read another's aura and can only use its energy like I did just now in a fit of desperation. I managed to send out an Aura Sphere to prevent the attack from hitting me, which is why there was that huge explosion."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Misty looked shocked at the words that came out of his mouth.

"Trust me Mist, I was going to tell you eventually. I wanted to wait for the perfect time to tell you so that you wouldn't be scared or think I was crazy. Then, I found this note in my room when I woke up this morning." He pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. "I knew I would have to tell you soon once this showed up."

He gave the note to Misty, who read it and handed it over to Dawn when she was finished.

"What do those letters mean at the bottom?" Dawn asked with her eyes focused on the four letters.

"No idea."

"Are you going to do as it says? It could be a trap."

"I have thought of that, and I don't think it is. Don't you think they would have snatched me last night while we were asleep if it was?"

"I still have a bad feeling about this, Ash."

"I know. Maybe if you hide behind some boulders while I try this out, it will still work, and you can save me if anything bad happens."

"I guess you have a point."

"No need to worry, Misty. Like he said, you will still be around if he runs into trouble." It was at that point that Johanna called everyone inside for dinner.

None of them talked much during dinner. Ash and Misty had too much on their minds. After dinner, Ash called Professor Rowan to ask about possible locations to find wild Piplup and went outside with everyone to watch the sun set. Everyone went to bed after that, but this time, Misty didn't care if Dawn knew she spent the night with Ash. She knew the note was troubling him at least a little, even if he didn't show it, and wanted to be with him and tell him everything will be alright, even if it didn't seem like it would.

They fell asleep in each other's arms and continued to dream of the great things that were to come.


	11. Discoveries

Hopefully you all are enjoying your St. Patrick's Day. I've been listening to Irsh Folk songs since about noon today and have truely enjoyed it. All I need now is some cornbeef, and I will be in total bliss.

Originally, this was two chapters. I can't remember why I put the two together, but I think it works. There are a few things that will happen here not only with Ash but also with Giovanni. More of his search for Mewtwo will be seen. I do realize at the end of the first movie that the castle on the island was destroyed/appeared to never have been there in the first place, but I needed something to give Giovanni information.

This is also the chapter where Ash's hobby comes into play. It will be something small but will mean a lot to who he makes it for. Also, an old friend returns. I realize that there are not many left Pokémon-wise and seeing that no one has any idea where Gliscor is (haven't made up my mind yet about his whereabouts), that leaves about three left.

Almost forgot, anyone want to guess who Brock's girlfriend is? I won't say anything to confirm or deny your guesses, but will merely comment and ask for an explanation.

Reviews appreciated, especially with last chapter's battle. One is coming up in two chapters, and any critiques will help a lot in the editing of that part of the chapter.

* * *

><p>Ch11 discoveries<p>

_He is almost here._

The man looked out over the mountain pass below and saw two people and their Pokémon walking towards it. Lucario stepped up behind him and asked why they still could not fully reveal themselves to the boy.

_The time is still not right. He can beat Lance without our help. I am sure of that. Once he does, we will, I promise._

_You have been saying that for the past three months now._

_I know. Don't worry. Your training is almost complete, and you will understand soon why we are to wait another nine months._

xxx

Ash could sense someone was probing his mind again and did his best to close it. It was almost a week since they left Dawn's house, and they decided that it was for the best to take care of the note as soon as possible.

When they reached a ledge overlooking Oreburgh City, Misty left Ash and Pikachu to carry out what was asked of him in the note. She found a spot above where they were and sent out Togetic to fly around and search for any suspicious looking people. She had a hard time keeping Azurill quiet but managed to by promising a treat when they got to the next Pokémon Center.

Ash sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. He began focusing his aura and allowed it to connect with everyone around him. By now, he was able to sense the presence of people and Pokémon that are hidden within a few miles. As much as he tried, he could not stop himself from looking into the homes of the people down below. There were a few Pokemon in the area, but he could not tell what they were and none seemed to want to come and say hi. _How long am I supposed to do this? What if the Pokémon doesn't come?_

Just as that thought entered his head, he heard a noise coming from behind him. Ash did not stir, sensing its presence, but called to it through his aura. _Come and sit with us. I won't harm you._

The creature moved closer to him and sat down. Ash opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer. It was a Riolu, a rather small one at that, possibly a newborn. He gave him a smile. "Who are you looking for little one?"

The Riolu said nothing but looked down at the city below. "Do you know where your parents are?" He shook his head. "Do you want to go find them?" He shook his head again. "Have you tried?" He nodded. "I take it you are alone in this world aren't you?" He let out a sigh and hung his head sorrowfully. Ash felt sorry for the little guy, and then he remembered the note. _Is this what it meant by "I know what you are looking for?"_

Riolu heard this thought and looked up at Ash with a quizzical look. "You don't have to worry about that. If you are all by yourself, why don't you come and join me. I probably won't be good company, just ask any of the people I travel with, but it's better than not having anyone to be with. I also have quite a few Pokémon that you can become friends with. It's all up to you, though."

Riolu stared at him for a moment, pondering what he just said. He looked over to Pikachu, who gave him a smile and nodded as if telling him every word was true. Riolu looked back up at Ash and gave him a smile. "Does that mean you will join us?" Riolu nodded.

"Great. If you don't mind, I would like to catch you, but I already have six Pokémon with me. If you want, I can carry you until I can switch out my Pokémon. You probably don't understand any of this right now, but you will once you are older."

Riolu did look confused, but agreed to whatever he said. Ash picked him up and started walking to meet with Misty. "There is someone I would like you to meet before we go."

xxx

_Now do you see why we must wait even longer?_

_Yes, but wouldn't the Pikachu have worked as his partner? There have been others who have had partners that were not one of my kind._

_You are right about the last point, but you still don't understand yet. He is the Chosen One after all. One partner is not enough to fulfill his destiny._

The two then hopped onto a Dragonite and flew off to find another place to train.

xxx

Team Rocket had been searching for months at each of the last known sightings of the Pokémon, Mewtwo. Giovanni was growing impatient when he discovered an island that had been left abandoned. The entire island was essentially a castle and had an outdoor Battle Arena. He ordered his men to search the facility and when they reported back, found an amazing discovery. An entire lab dedicated to cloning was on the lower floors of the island. _This must be where it did its own experiments. I wonder if it succeeded._

He went to visit the location himself and found that much of the Arena had been destroyed. The machines that performed the cloning where damaged well beyond repair. He found the database for the experiments and found just how many it had managed to complete. Despite all the information it held, it did not have any DNA of the original subjects to replicate. _It appears that it did quite well. Now if only I could find it._

"Sir, sorry to disturb you but one of your operatives has found an unusual Pokémon."

Giovanni did not turn around but recognized the grunt's presence by asking, "How so?"

"The operative would not say. She did ask to show it to you personally."

"Bring her in." The grunt bowed and left the room. He came back moments later with Domino. She had a small Pokémon in her arms. It did not move because it was heavily sedated.

"Sir, I bring you agent Domino and the Pokémon in question."

Giovanni turned around and noticed that the Pokémon was a Nidoqueen, but this one was about the size of a Rattata. "Where did you find this?"

"In the mountains of Johto, sir, it was the only one I could find."

Giovanni looked back at the database and found a file on Nidoqueen. _This is not the same one, but it must be connected somehow._ "Tell everyone to download all the files on this computer and to head back to headquarters. I need some time to plan our next move."

Both Rockets bowed and left the room. Giovanni smiled. _Soon, I will have you._

xxx

Misty waited for Ash to arrive at the base of the mountain. When Riolu, even though she had no idea that is what it was, walked up to Ash and sat down next to him, she decided that there was no chance of anyone harming him. They had already planned to meet there if that was the case.

Ash finally made it down with Riolu still in his arms. Misty finally got a good look at him and could not control herself. "It's so adorable. How could I have ever doubt a note that would lead to such a cute Pokémon?"

"Quiet, Mist. You're scaring Riolu." Sure enough, Riolu had buried his face in Ash's jacket. "It's okay. She just wanted to say hi. This is who I wanted you to meet. This is Misty."

Riolu removed his face from his jacket and stared up at Misty. "I'm sorry if I scared you." It was Misty's turn to hide her face, for her it was more in shame than fear. Riolu looked into Ash's face. He gave him a nod and put him down on the ground. Riolu ran up to Misty and started to hug her leg.

"Thank you, Riolu. Now Ash, why didn't you catch it?"

"I wanted to spend a lot more time with him seeing as he is probably a newborn. It just doesn't feel right leaving him with the Professor when he feels so attached to me."

"Kinda like Bayleef is?" Misty gave him a wicked smile.

"You could say that, but somehow this connection is deeper than what I have with most of my Pokémon." Pikachu gave him a look. "Don't worry little buddy. You're not most of my Pokémon." Pikachu seemed a little happier when he said this.

"Anyway, we need to head back to the Pokémon Center so I can exchange Pokémon. I was hoping to bring some of my less intimidating ones with me for this stretch of the journey."

"Who would those be? You have a knack of catching some of the more intimidating Pokémon."

"Well, there is Butterfree, Lapras, and Bulbasaur. I don't think Riolu would mind hanging out with them."

"Well, I guess you're right. Meeting Bulbasaur would be good for him to." Together they set off to the Pokémon Center.

Once there, Nurse Joy notified Ash that he had a caller while he was away. "I wonder who that could be."

When Nurse Joy directed him to the video phone, he got a wonderful surprise.

"Hey, Squirtle, how are ya?"

Squirtle was beaming at the sight of Ash and wouldn't stop staring at him until Officer Jenny forcibly pulled him away from the phone. "Hello Ash. Professor Oak said I would find you here."

"How are you Jenny? It's been a long time since I last called for Squirtle."

"Yes it has, and that is why I called you today."

"Is he alright? He looked fine before you pulled him away."

"He couldn't be better. Well, actually, that's not true. Lately he has been a little sad. A few months ago, the other Squirtle in the Squirtle Squad had voted for him to step down as the leader. They still let him stay on the team seeing as he is still one of the best firefighters around, but he really hasn't been the same since then."

"He must be feeling terrible." Misty joined the conversation. Squirtle was Ash's first Water Pokémon he caught and was the one Misty personally liked the best out of all of his Water Pokémon.

"You have no idea. I asked him a few days ago what was wrong, and he pointed to a picture I have on my desk of the day he rejoined the team. You were in it, and I asked if he wanted to see you again. He nodded, but I could still tell he wouldn't be too pleased if it was going to be like the last visit. I then gave him the option of staying with the Squirtle Squad or rejoining you permanently."

"What did he say? I don't want to be the reason he quits."

"I wouldn't worry too much about you being the reason. There are other factors that have caused him to consider quitting. He chose to rejoin you and as of tomorrow is no long a member of the Squirtle Squad."

"Wow. Squirtle, are you sure about this?"

Squirtle gave him a nod. Ash could tell that he wanted to see the rest of the team again.

"Alright, you can join us again." With that, Squirtle started crying. "It's okay, Squirtle. You will be back with the rest of us soon."

"I will send him over as soon as I can."

"Thank you Jenny. Goodbye." Jenny hung up.

Ash called up Professor Oak and told him what was going on. Once the Pokémon he asked for arrived, Officer Jenny called again to tell him Squirtle was on his way. Once he arrived through the Poké Ball Transport System, Ash took out another Poké Ball and asked Riolu to go inside. "You will only be inside for a minute. I just need to make you an official member of the team." Riolu still had no idea what was going on but pushed the small button on the Poké Ball anyway once Pikachu assured it was safe, although he was never one to believe that himself. Once the capture was complete, Ash released Riolu and carried him his arms again. Everyone went outside to a nearby lake so that Lapras could spend time in the water instead of dry land. Misty even released her Pokémon, Clamperl, Staryu, Lapras, Psyduck, Togetic, and Azurill, to meet Squirtle. Ash then released Butterfree, Bulbasaur, and Lapras.

"There are two reasons why I brought you all here. First, I would like you to meet Riolu. He is the latest member of our team. I want you to be nice. He is just a newborn and gets scared pretty easily." Ash placed him on the ground and told him that it was okay to walk over to meet them. Riolu hesitated at first but ran over once Pikachu convinced him that it was okay. After getting acquainted with everyone, Ash pulled Bulbasaur aside and told him to watch over him when the time comes for him to send him to Professor Oak. Bulbasaur nodded but gave him a look that asked why only five of them were present.

"Thanks for reminding me, Bulbasaur. And now for the second reason, you should all remember him. He left some time ago to rejoin his old team but now has sort of retired and decided to rejoin us. Come on out." With a flick of the wrist, Ash threw his last Poké Ball and out came Squirtle. Bulbasaur and Pikachu were the first to run up and greet him. They were so happy to see one of their best friends again. Eventually the rest of the team got reacquainted and was introduced to some of Misty's new Pokémon. Eventually it was Riolu's turn for an introduction.

"I want you to be nice Squirtle. Riolu is still a baby." Once he heard that, it was time for funny faces, at least Squirtle thought they were funny. Squirtle started making a face that caused Riolu to hide behind Pikachu. Bulbasaur saw this and used his Vine Whip to stop Squirtle. Riolu started to laugh when he saw the playful beating Squirtle was getting, so Bulbasaur continued.

"Okay, enough you two, time to have some fun before lunch." Everyone cheered and stared to play in the shallow end of the lake. Psyduck, of course, stayed as close to Misty as possible.

"You are a Water Pokémon. You should love the water." Psyduck just looked up at her and held his head. "Ugh, when will you evolve? What are you doing Ash?"

Ash had taken out one of his blocks of wood from his backpack and was carving something out of it with a knife and various other tools. "It's for Riolu. The last one I saw had a doll shaped like it, and I thought it would be a nice welcome gift."

"You have never done that with any of you other Pokémon before."

"I know. It's hard to explain, but I really do feel a connection with him. It's stronger than most of the connections I have with my other Pokémon."

"Maybe it's an aura thing. Maybe it's telling you that this is your partner for your aura training." She was thinking back to the conversation they had after they left Dawn's house. He was trying to explain to the best of his abilities what aura was and who the Aura Guardians where.

"You think so? Maybe you're right. That might explain the note as well actually."

"How so?"

"The last two letters written are A and G. Maybe whoever wrote it is an Aura Guardian and wanted me to find my partner. I wonder how Pikachu will react to that."

"I think he will be fine if you tell him when you are absolutely sure that is the case. But we still don't know what the other two letters stand for."

"It said that we will find out how I got the letter eventually, so maybe we should just wait until the time comes."

"I guess you're right. I'll start getting lunch ready. You go ahead and work on your carving." Misty gave him a kiss on the cheek and started preparing a place to sit and eat.

"Thanks Mist." Ash went to work on the little carving for Riolu. It took a few days to complete, and he managed to make it look as much as Riolu as he could. The tools he had did not allow him to create much detail in the final work, but he thought Riolu would not mind. It was the reason behind it that would make it special.

Ash gave Riolu the doll. "It's a gift from me to you as a welcome to our team." Riolu took it from him and began to inspect it. After a while, he began to cuddle with it. Pikachu gave Ash a look that said he wanted to know what was going on. "I will tell you when he goes down to sleep tonight." Pikachu was not pleased with the answer and restrained himself from shocking Ash in front of Riolu. He climbed onto Ash's shoulder and looked down at the little one in his trainer's arms. Surely, Ash would never replace him, but Pikachu also sensed that this was a special Pokémon who needed Ash just as much as Ash needed him.

Ash and Misty stopped at a Pokémon Center to call Brock about their plans. They were getting ready to head to Snowpoint City to try and find wild Piplup.

"Hello." Brock appeared on the screen looking a little worn down.

"Hey, Brock, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine Ash. Exams are finishing up this week and I have spent most of my free time studying. What's up with you guys?"

"Not much. We were thinking about heading up towards Snowpoint City, and it might take us a while to get there. If you are still thinking about joining us next week, we should meet up there."

"That sounds great. Do you mind if I bring someone along with me?"

"Are you talking about that girl you told me about a few months back?"

"Who else would I be talking about? I was just thinking it would be great for her to visit another region and experience the different Pokémon there. Plus, it might help you think of ideas about how to ask Misty out."

"Do you still think I would follow any of your advice? Besides, I don't think she would like it either if I told her you're the one giving me relationship advice."

"I know what you mean." Brock started massaging his ear, remembering all the times she had pulled him away from all the pretty girls they had met. "Anyway, I am sure you will like her. Actually, I know you will. You have met before."

"Who is it?"

"I want it to be a surprise. Tell Misty I said hi and will meet up with all of you later. Bye Ash." Ash still couldn't believe what came out of his friend's mouth. _We've met so many people, and he has hit on just about every single girl we've met. Well, except for the younger ones, Misty, May, and Dawn, but they are like sisters to him._

Misty came out of their room and tried to bring Ash back to reality when she saw him staring at the blank videophone screen with a glazed look in his eyes. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go." Ash said shaking himself back to reality.

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking and finding a place to set up camp for the night. While everyone was eating, Ash told Misty about his phone call with Brock.

"I was almost tempted to tell him about us when he mentioned giving me relationship advice. I didn't, don't worry. It's just hard keeping such a big secret from one our best friends."

"I know, but who is the girl he was talking about? I mean not very many of the girls he hit on actually liked him."

"Yeah, there are so few that did, I can't even remember any of their names." Ash and Misty laughed. They had finished eating and were watching all of the Pokémon playing with Riolu. "Riolu really seems to like being with us," Ash said as Misty moved over to sit next to him under the tree he was leaning against.

"He also really likes that doll you made. I haven't seen him put it down since you gave it to him."

"I am just curious to see how he will react once he meets the rest of the team. I am sure they will like him, but Riolu seems intimidated by larger Pokémon. Look at how he interacts with Lapras, and he's not intimidating at all."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Ash. Give Riolu time. He is the youngest Pokémon you have."

"I know. Patience will be key in training him. Maybe tomorrow I will introduce him to battling. Of course he won't be battling. I just want him to see what they're like."

"That's probably a good idea, seeing as that is your main source of income and way of living. Just don't get carried away. Like you said, Riolu scares very easily."

"Don't worry about it. It will just be like the sparing matches we did while we were traveling before." He wrapped his arm around Misty who had moved in closer as the temperature was dropping. All the Pokémon were tiring out and started to move closer to Ash and Misty to get ready for bed.

Ash pulled out a few blankets for the Pokémon and placed them near to where their sleeping bags would be. Pikachu, being the sharp Pokémon he is, made sure everyone was asleep before going over to question his trainer about Riolu.

"You ready for what I am going to tell you?" Pikachu nodded. "Well, it's kinda like this. You know the connection the two of us have between us. We can tell what the other is thinking without having to say a word. With Riolu, it is almost like that, but we can actually see what is in each other's minds through aura. While I can connect with just about anyone, with Riolu, it's like we share the same mind at all times. That's the only way I can describe it, and don't worry. You will never be replaced. You will always be by my side no matter what happens."

Pikachu smiled. He always knew Ash would never leave him, but hearing him say it made it that much more real. He also knew that Ash didn't fully understand what was going on between him and Riolu, so he was happy to be there for his friend when he needed someone to talk to. The two got into Ash's sleeping bag and drifted off into a blissful sleep.


	12. Surprise

Before I get into the chapter, I just want to say that I posted another story. It's just a one shot that I started about a week after my grandfather passed away, and it is kinda a way for me to work out what is going through my head at the present. It is not connected to this story mostly because it takes place in between Sinnoh and Unova and what I have at the end. I don't want to spoil it, so please read and review.

It's birthday time (not mine but my dog's is coming up soon).

This one is pretty short. You will meet Brock's girlfriend here (I will give my reasons for choosing her in the notes of the next chapter). Old friends will return, some of which will be back in a few chapters as well.

Sometimes I wonder if anybody actually reads the author's notes at the beginning of my chapters. Bueller? Bueller? (I do not own that movie. For those who don't know what it is from, I mentally slap you. Kidding. I heard that Cameron's house was for sale not too long ago. It would be awesome to own it, especially if it comes with the Ferrari, but alas, I am only a college student with very little money. Losing focus. Back to more important things.) Oh well, I have decided on my own that I will bump the rating of the story to M just to be safe. See my note from a few chapters back to find out part of the reason. That might only be a small portion of what's to come.

* * *

><p>Ch12 surprise<p>

Five days after Ash gave Riolu his gift, it was Ash's birthday. Ash had almost forgotten about it and was almost positive Misty did to. He really wasn't expecting anything special. If he was traveling, everyone would give him a call and wish him a happy birthday and received a small package from his mom, nothing too special.

The trip to Snowpoint took much less time than was expected because Ash insisted that they fly as far north as they could before the snow hit, and Misty was starting to get a little worried. She had a huge surprise planned for Ash once they got there and hoped everything was ready. She talked with Brock the day before Ash caught Riolu to help her plan something for him.

xxx

"Just leave it to me, Misty. I got some ideas. I am not sure how many people would be willing to make the trip up there on such short notice, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Brock. You're the best."

"Anything for you two, talk to you later."

Misty knew he still had exams but was certain if anyone could pull it off it would be Brock.

xxx

The two of them wore giant winter coats that covered not only themselves, but the Pokémon that they carried as well because they were walking into a snow storm that was slowly picking up in strength. Pikachu sat on Ash's head inside the hood while Riolu was held in Ash's arms inside the coat and would occasionally poke his head out to see the surroundings, not that there was much to see, but snow was a little foreign to the little guy. Azurill did the same as Pikachu, but wrapped her tail around Misty's neck to keep them both warm.

They walked into the Snowpoint Pokémon Center a little after three in the afternoon. To Ash's surprise, he saw Zoey waiting for Nurse Joy to return with her Pokémon.

"Hey, Zoey, I didn't think you would be up here."

"Oh hey, Ash, good to see you, I am just visiting for a few days. And this must be Misty. Dawn told me you were traveling through Sinnoh with your girlfriend."

_Being called Ash's girlfriend sounds too good to be true, at least now we won't have to deny it._ Misty thought as she lowered her hood.

"Yeah, I'm training for the next Indigo League Tournament, and Misty is helping me while trying to find all sorts of Water Pokémon to become a Water Pokémon Master. The reason why we are here is to try and find wild Piplup."

"That's great. I actually know where you can find some Piplup. If you come here tomorrow, I will take you to them, but first, I should take you over to the Gym. I'm sure Ms. Senior would be happy to see you."

"Are you sure it's alright? Wouldn't she have a Gym Battle going on right now?" Misty asked.

"Are you kidding? You've seen what the weather is like up here, and not many people want to make the journey. She only has about three Gym Battles a month which gives her enough time to teach," Zoey reassured her.

"Great, when should we head over?"

"As soon as Nurse Joy returns with Glameow, we can go." In the time it took for Nurse Joy to return, Ash caught Zoey up on his travels since they last saw each other, highlighting his current trip through Sinnoh and how he met Riolu. Zoey had been out in the other regions competing in Contests. Despite already having won the Sinnoh Grand Festival, she felt like she had a lot to learn still. It wasn't much longer that they had to wait, and they headed towards the Gym. Once inside the Gym, Ash couldn't help but wonder why the lights were off. _Surely Candice wouldn't leave the Gym unguarded like this._ Suddenly, the lights flickered on to reveal the Battle Field. It wasn't like Ash had remembered it. Instead of all the ice and small ice mounds, there was a wooden floor and at the middle stood a small group of people.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted and ran over to the three standing at the edge of the floor. Ash was stunned to see so many people around to celebrate his birthday. His mom, Tracy, and Professor Oak had all made the journey from Pallet Town and were standing with Gary. Candice was standing next to Dawn and Johanna. May was standing with Drew. He was not the best of friends with Drew but figured May had dragged him along with her. Next was Brock who was standing, much to his surprise, with Pike Queen Lucy.

"Happy Birthday, Ash."

"Thanks everyone. How did you all know to get up here?"

"Misty called me, and I let everyone know what was going on. I was quite lucky to get everyone up here on such short notice."

"I'm surprised this many people showed up, Ashy-boy." Gary couldn't help himself. Even though they both respected each other, they couldn't stop themselves from throwing in a little jab at each other when the opportunity arose.

"Who cares Gary? Let's get the party started."

Everyone made their way to the center of the floor and started talking amongst themselves and asking Ash how his training was going. May almost exploded with excitement to tell Ash and Misty Drew had finally asked her out. She also said Max would be arriving soon, and sure enough, he walked in covered with snow. Gary told Ash that he had a surprise for him back at his lab to help him with his journey. "I've been telling you to come visit me for the past two years and now you don't have an excuse for not coming. I will be taking you there myself after we leave here."

"Sure, whatever you say, Gary." Ash was trying to put off visiting Gary's lab until after the League Tournaments, but Gary was right, he had no excuse this time and was curious to see what Gary had to show him.

Soon, everyone started to eat the meal Delia had prepared. While they were eating, Ash finally had an opportunity to ask Brock about Lucy.

"How did it happen? Wasn't she disturbed by you when we first met her?"

"Actually, you weren't around when I first met her. She told me I was charming that day. Anyway, you know my classes are being held in Fuchsia City. Well, part of my training has me working at the local Pokémon Center. She arrived one day while I was working, and we started talking. Next thing I know, Croagunk hit me with a Poison Jab, and Lucy helped me back to my feet. She then went on to criticize Croagunk for stopping a pleasant conversation. Boy did he look confused but a little scared as well. We started dating after that. Now what about you two, and don't pretend that you're not a couple. Your mom already told me while we were waiting for you."

"Leave it to mom to spoil the surprise." Ash and Misty went into the story about how he came to the Gym and took her away to travel and how on their second to last day in Hoenn, he brought Togetic back to her. "And that's pretty much how it all happened."

"That's so sweet." Lucy had finally spoken for the first time to Ash that night. It was a little strange hearing her voice. "By the way, you may want to talk to Anabel. She took a pretty strong liking to you when you first met. She may want to find out about Misty, if she hasn't already."

"What do you mean, 'if she hasn't already'? Is she Psychic or something?" Misty asked a little confused.

"We are not totally sure. It is possible that she is, seeing as she can connect with her Pokémon telepathically and read other people's and Pokémon's emotions. She also had a very interesting conversation with Pikachu about me when we met," Ash explained. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Every once in a while, Scott asks all of the Frontier Brains to meet and discuss how we are doing and what can be done to bring more people to the Battle Frontier. You should be honored, Ash. You are the last person to defeat all of the Frontier Brains. Anyway, last time we met, Anabel was asking about my relationship with Brock. I told her everything that she already knew from reading my emotions. The topic then turned to you, Ash. I think she really cares about you."

Ash was a little shocked. Pikachu was a little as well. "I had no idea. Maybe I should talk to her next time we are in Kanto."

"I think she would like that."

Just then, they were interrupted by Max. "Hey Ash, remember what you promised me once I became a trainer?"

"Of course, I do. When do you want to battle?"

"How about tomorrow? I heard you and Zoey were going to look for Piplup in the morning so how about in the afternoon when you get back. How does six-on-six sound?"

"I would love to do a full battle with you. The thing is I don't think Riolu is ready for a battle yet." He motioned to the little Pokémon asleep in his lap. "I only found him a few days ago, and he is just a newborn. How about five-on-five?"

"That will work. I can't wait to show you all of my Pokémon." He then ran off to talk with his idol, Professor Oak.

"I think you are going to have a pretty tough battle, Ash. You better be careful," Misty warned.

"Don't worry. I've traveled with him for a couple years and know what he thinks he is capable of. I still have the most experience between us and that should give me an edge."

The rest of the night was spent discussing their plans once they left Snowpoint City. Candice offered everyone a room at her Gym for the night, so everyone stayed at the Gym instead of braving the weather to get to the Pokémon Center.


	13. Battles

Okay, so the reason behind Lucy. Even though she was only on for one episode, she was the only girl that seemed appropriate for Brock. I'm not sure how to explain it (not that I'm any good with explanations anyway), but they looked better than some of the other possible combinations. Also, I needed to give Ash a reason to go see Anabel. Their meeting will spring certain events that are pretty important in the long run. Croagunk will make occasional appearances (let's face it, with or without a girl Brock is still Brock), but the end result will be a little different. Speaking of him, I am not planning on evolving him. I looked up information on Toxicroak and felt that Brock would probably die from a Poison Jab from him.

I choose Fuchsia City for Brock's school mostly because of Lucy but also because I think it would be a perfect place to practice medicine due to the Gym being a Poison Type Gym.

We meet the Piplup, and Max's battle takes place. I made him a Psychic trainer with his starter being Treeko. I was thinking about what his sixth Pokémon would be and decided that it might make an appearance latter. Who knows? I apologize in advance. The scene with the wild Piplup is kind of cheesy and to be honest, not my most thought out scene, but it gets the job done.

* * *

><p>Ch13 battles<p>

"Quiet. We should be getting close." Zoey had led Ash and Misty to a densely wooded area around Lake Acuity. Ash left Pikachu and Riolu behind with Brock and Misty's Azurill so that they could stay warm. He glanced over to the other side of the lake and saw the place where Ash had his first full battle with Paul a few years earlier. He smiled as he remembered how much he had grown since then.

Zoey stopped in front of a clearing and pulled the other two behind a large bush. "We need to be careful. These Piplup can get very territorial when they see an unfamiliar face. I'll go on ahead and call you when it's okay to come out."

Zoey left them behind the bush. The two did their best to conceal themselves while trying to watch for her to call them over. After a while Zoey came back to them. "You guys may not like what's going on right now."

"Why?"

"Well, I told them about you two and how you would love to have one of them. That's the part I don't mind, because they agreed to allow two to leave with you. The problem is in order to determine who gets to go, they are having a battle and the first two to get defeated will join you."

"How do you know all that?"

"After watching them fight for a few minutes, one of them was finally defeated and started walking over to me. I asked it if it was one of the ones that would be joining you, and it nodded."

"Why would they do such a thing? Shouldn't we just let them meet us first and then decide who wants to go?" Misty asked a little surprised as to what was taking place.

"You're right, Mist. We should stop them before they hurt each other even more. Come on out Bulbasaur."

Ash, Zoey, Misty, and Bulbasaur came out from behind the bush to try and stop the fighting. There were two teams of Piplup lined up opposite each other. Each one sending out a BubbleBeam at the other side until one gave way. Then whoever was the one to hit the opposing Piplup would run over with a Peck attack and try to knock it out. So far, none of them were giving up. The Piplup that had already lost was standing with a group of Piplup who were not involved in the battle. Ash hoped that those were the sensible ones that saw this as a poor way to decide what to do. Bulbasaur sent out a Vine Whip to stop the two sides from continuing their odd battle.

Everyone stopped their attacks and looked for the source of the vines. They saw Bulbasaur and were about ready to unleash a combined attack when Zoey told them to stop. "Don't you understand that this is not the way to decide who gets to go? Each of you should decide for yourself if you want to leave or not."

"We are going to give you some time to be with us, and if any of you want to come with us when we leave, you are welcome to follow us back to town," Ash called out to them as he returned Bulbasaur to his Poké Ball. Ash and Misty sat down on a nearby tree stump and waited for any of them to come over. Few from the group that did not battle came over and decided to give them a chance. Most of the other Piplup left after a while, not wanting to be with trainers that did not understand how they solved their problems. After a few hours, Ash, Misty, and Zoey left the group of about nine Piplup and headed back to town. Those nine were discussing amongst themselves who should go when one of them volunteered and left the group. Two others followed and left the remaining six to be with the group.

Once the trio got back to the edge of town, they waited to see if anyone was following them. After a few minutes the first Piplup appeared followed closely by the other two. "There you are. Now who would you guys want to be with the most?"

The three were surprised to hear that they had yet another decision to make. Eventually, the first one that appeared walked over to Ash and puffed up his chest. Finally, the other two made their decision. One decided to go with Misty and to Zoey's surprise, decided to go with her.

"I don't think you have a choice here, Zoey. She really wants to go with you." Ash gave her a wink. Zoey just sighed.

"I should have known you were going to follow me here someday." She laughed and picked the little penguin up. "You could never leave me alone whenever I visited. Sure, you can come with me." Piplup gave her a tiny salute and everyone laughed.

"Let's take them over to the Gym. I need to talk with Professor Oak about giving Butterfree back to him once the battle is over so that Piplup can be on the team for a while."

Once they got back to the Gym, Pikachu and Riolu ran up to Ash, and Azurill went up to inspect the Piplup that now stood by Misty's side. "You two ready to meet a new member of the team?" Ash set Piplup down at his feet for the other two to inspect and say hi. Riolu was still a little nervous about meeting new Pokémon, so Pikachu had to help him out. Eventually Riolu warmed up to Piplup and started playing with him. Of course, Riolu wouldn't let Piplup near his doll, no matter how hard Piplup tried. Eventually Pikachu stepped in and gave Piplup a light zap of electricity. Piplup started getting mad at Pikachu which caused Riolu to laugh.

Max walked over to them once he realized they were back. "Come on Ash, I've been waiting all day for you to get back."

"Just a moment, Max. I need to talk with Riolu and Piplup first, and then we can have our battle." Max sighed and walked into the Battle Arena. "Alright you two, I am going to be having a battle using some of my other Pokémon. I want each of you to pay attention because someday I will call on you for help." Riolu looked a little scared, but Pikachu patted his back and told him not to worry. His first battle won't be for a long time. "Ready to go Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded and climbed up on Ash's shoulder.

Once they entered the Battle Arena, Brock was standing at the spot usually reserved for the officials. The Battle Field had returned to its normal appearance. Lucy was sitting in the first row of the bleachers waiting for Misty, Azurill, the Piplup, and Riolu to sit with her. Eventually, everyone else who was around for the day came over to watch the battle. Once everyone had taken a seat, Brock began explaining the rules. "This will be a five- on-five battle with unlimited substitutions. The trainer who manages to defeat all five of the opposing trainers Pokémon will be declared the winner. Are both trainers ready?" They both gave Brock a nod. "The let's begin."

Ash called out Bulbasaur to start, and Max chose Metang. Ash knew he was at a disadvantage with Bulbasaur but decided to keep him in. Max started the attack with Metal Claw. Bulbasaur jumped out of the way and was ordered to use Leech Seed. Ash knew that he had to find away drain Metang's energy because most of Bulbasaur's attacks would not be very effective.

Metang was hit, and slowly, its energy began to drain as the roots wrapped tighter and tighter. Ash then ordered a flurry of Razor Leaf that not only hit Metang, but blocked its vision from seeing where Bulbasaur was. Max ordered Confusion to try and stop the attack and succeeded just a little too late. Bulbasaur was underneath Metang and unleashed a SolarBeam that he was charging at close range. Metang was sent flying and came down with a loud crash. Brock then declared Bulbasaur the winner. Max was stunned. He knew Bulbasaur was strong but couldn't understand how quickly Ash had gained the upper hand in the battle.

"Thanks Bulbasaur. I may call on you again later." Ash looked over at Max, waiting for him to choose another Pokémon. Max just stared at him for a while before calling out his next Pokémon, Slowking.

Ash called out Lapras, and the battle was underway again. Ash started this time with Ice Beam. Just before it hit Slowking, Max ordered Confusion which sent the attack straight back at Lapras. Lapras began to push himself around on the ice field to dodge the attack. Max then ordered Zen Headbutt. Lapras was too fast on the ice for Slowking to make a connection with the attack. Ash then found an opportunity to unleash a critical blow. He ordered Lapras to circle Slowking with an Ice Beam. Lapras was too quick for Slowking to escape his position and was soon surrounded by a thick wall of ice. Because of the large barrier, Max could not recall Slowking. Ash took this opportunity to recall Lapras and to send in Pikachu. Pikachu let out an amazing Thunderbolt that caused the ice barrier to collapse onto Slowking. Slowking made it out but was left with a serious amount of damage. Ash ordered one last Thunderbolt and finished Slowking.

Ash was up two to nothing without taking heavy damage. Max could tell that this was not the same trainer he traveled throughout Hoenn and the Battle Frontier with. He was more resourceful and obviously had a plan set beforehand. "I'm impressed, Ash. You have definitely improved since I last saw you."

"You're not too bad either. Come on back Pikachu. We still have three more to go." Ash sent Lapras out again. Max then sent out Espeon.

Ash again started with an Ice Beam, this time directed towards Espeon's feet. Max called for it to dodge, but the Ice Beam caught one of its hind legs and left it attached to the ground. Ash then called for Rain Dance, and soon the entire Gym was filled with rain clouds. Max ordered Espeon to used Psybeam on the ice that bound its foot before Lapras could send off another attack. Just before it was about to get free, Lapras unleashed a Water Pulse straight at the struggling Pokémon. Espeon had very little time to react and was soon swept up by the attack. It was still standing and barely had enough energy to send out one final attack. Max ordered Last Resort. Espeon channeled what energy it had left and charged at Lapras, making a direct hit. Lapras fainted, and Espeon soon followed due to exhaustion. It was declared a tie by Brock.

Ash thanked Lapras for his work and looked over at where Misty and Riolu were sitting. Misty was trying to explain what was going on to Riolu, but Ash thought she wasn't getting through to him. He could see Riolu looking around excitedly, and Ash could see that he wanted to join the battle. _Not yet little one. You are not ready to begin training yet, but you will be soon, I promise._ Riolu caught what Ash had thought and looked at him with a disappointed look on his face. _You will get your chance soon._

Ash called out Butterfree for the next battle, and Max decided it was time to shake things up a bit. The Pokémon he called out was his starter Pokémon, Grovyle. Max ordered the first move, Pound. Butterfree dodged the attack fairly easily countered with Sleep Powder. Grovyle began to fall asleep and was now being tossed around by Butterfree's Confusion. Eventually, it woke up after being thrown around a bit by Butterfree. Grovyle then sent out an Energy Ball to try and break Butterfree's concentration. It succeeded and followed up with Leaf Blade. Ash ordered Poison Powder followed by Silver Wind. The Leaf Blade had connected with the target, but Grovyle was left vulnerable to the combination attack. Ash had initially hoped that the Poison Powder would be spread out more with the help of Silver Wind, but it instead turned the Silver Wind into a more potent attack, causing Grovyle to wear down a lot quicker. Ash finished with Gust. Grovyle was sent flying through the air and landed on one of the ice mounds on the field. Once Brock declared Butterfree the winner, Max called out his last Pokémon, Kirlia.

Ash thanked Butterfree and returned him. Ash then sent out Squirtle. Kirlia kept Squirtle at bay for a while using Confusion. Then Max ordered Double Team and surrounded Squirtle. Ash took this opportunity to unleash a Hydro Pump to knock out all of the fakes and hopefully hit the real one. Once the copies were removed, the real Kirlia was no longer there. It was hiding behind one of the ice mounds and was waiting for a command. Max finally ordered Magical Leaf and caused Squirtle to be thrown across the field. He was slow to get up and with Ash's encouragement, was able to stand up again. Then, he started to glow. Everyone was in shock. Squirtle had never shown any desire to evolve before now and had a rather fierce rivalry with a rival firefighting squad completely composed of Wartortle. Riolu was just curious as to what was going on. He had never seen a Pokémon evolve before.

Once the transformation was complete, Wartortle looked rejuvenated and without a command, used a new move, Aqua Tail. Kirlia was caught off guard and was swept away by the attack. Ash then ordered Skull Bash to finish the battle. With his new found strength, Wartortle rammed into Kirlia and sent it flying into the back wall of the Gym.

"Kirlia is unable to battle. The victory goes to Ash."

Everyone wasn't too surprised by the outcome, but some were expecting a much closer battle than what had transpired after seeing what Pokémon Max possessed. Ash went up to Max and thanked him for a good battle. "Someday we will battle again. Maybe next time will be for a League Championship."

Max smiled. It was good to hear some words of encouragement from Ash after such a beat down. Misty ran up with Riolu in her arms and gave Ash a kiss. "Good job, Ash. Maybe you should have gone a little easier on him."

"Then how would he have learned anything from me if I went easy. Besides, none of my Pokémon knows how to take it easy." Ash smiled.

"You're right. They do act a lot like you at times." Misty laughed. "Congratulations Wartortle."

Wartortle smiled. Riolu was placed on the ground and went up to inspect Wartortle. While he was inspecting his tail, Wartortle started to wag it so that it tickled Riolu. From then on, the two of them became inseparable when they were around each other.

Everyone left to eat the dinner that Brock and Delia had prepared. Ash talked with Professor Oak about taking Butterfree with him when he went back to Pallet Town so he could spend more time with Piplup. Misty went to call her sisters to give them and update on when the next Pokémon would be arriving. She had a tough decision to make. She did not want to be away from Togetic or Azurill, Clamperl was still growing, Lapras was always around when Ash's was around and spent most of the time with Professor Oak when he wasn't, Psyduck was all but useless in a Gym Battle much less one in a pool, and Staryu was the only one with plenty of battle experience in case she needed to battle a difficult opponent.

Ash and Misty went to their guest room after dinner to talk. "What should I do, Ash? I find this great new Pokémon that I want to spend more time with and now I have to send one of my most trusted Pokémon away." They were sitting on the bed with his hand rubbing her back.

"Don't worry, Mist. How about this, I send Lapras back with Professor Oak, and you can send yours with him as well. It will make both of them happy, and you can keep the rest of your team with you."

"How do you do it Ash?" She asked leaning in closer to his chest.

"Do what?"

"Make everything better even if it means you have to give up something to do it."

"You know you always come first with me, Mist." He kissed her forehead and fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>Trying something new with this one. So, with this Ash now has a Wartortle. I know he really hasn't shown much wanting to (as I said in the chapter) but getting released from your life's work can make you do strange things.<p>

I may post the next chapter Wednesday morning before class. Just like with my Spring Break, I want to spend this Easter Break with family and friends so writing will be at a minimum (not that I really have been able to lately). I get Wednesday night through Monday off of school. Hopefully, it will still be there after Saturday night's game between Louisville and Kentucky (I go to a small Catholic University in Louisville, and from what I can tell the fan bases for each school here is split pretty evenly. I might be locking myself in the dorm this weekend because it could get pretty ugly).

I'm not trying to sound desperate or anything (actually, seeking approval of something I do from others is rather out of character for me) but please review. Despite the number of visitors I get, it is hard for me to tell what people really think about this story. Numbers can only say so much. Anyway, again sorry about the Piplup thing and let me know what you think about the battle with Max. Believable or should have been closer? You tell me.


	14. The Lab

As promised (well not exactly because I said I might post this before I went home) here is the next chapter.

So, I survived the UK vs UL game. I am not entirely happy with the outcome of that game or the National Title game, but oh well.

The first major action scene that is not a battle, well, not a real Trainer Battle. We get to see Garry's gift and find out a little more about Team Rocket.

I'm not totally sure where Gary's lab should be, but it is in Sinnoh. I realize that in one of the side story episodes he works on a tropical island, but he showed up quite a bit in Sinnoh after that. I am not sure if they said anything about his lab in the anime, and I really haven't found anything to point me in any direction from my sources. Thus, I will leave yet another little bit ambiguous (it's not always intentional that I do that. Okay, the team was, but this is not entirely my fault). Let's just say not far from Snowpoint but far enough away to avoid the continuous snow fall.

* * *

><p>Ch14 the lab<p>

A few weeks had passed since everyone left Snowpoint City. Sure Gary said he would take them all directly to his lab when they left, but when they were ready to leave, he was already gone.

"I'm sure he has a good explanation, Ash. I wouldn't be too worried about it." Misty did her best to reassure him.

"Yeah, Ash, something probably came up, and he was needed as soon as possible." Brock did not seem too convinced of this. No one knew where he went that day or heard from him since. All the communication to and from the lab had been cut off, and everyone was starting to worry.

Ash decided that they may want to head over to the lab to make sure everything was alright. He contacted Professor Oak to give him Charizard, Infernape, Sceptile, and Buizel in case something happened. He still kept Riolu with him, despite only knowing a few moves and having very limited battle experience.

They were almost at the lab when they saw two figures dressed in black standing in front of the entrance to the lab. Upon closer inspection, they noticed a giant red 'R' on their shirts. Knowing this, they ducked behind a set of bushes to keep hidden.

"Team Rocket! What do they want?" Ash could feel the anger building inside him. It took all he could to prevent himself from running head on into a fight.

"What will we do? We don't know what is going on in there." Misty was sounding worried.

"I may be able to clear things up for you."

Ash turned around at the sound of the voice. "Lance? If you're here and Team Rocket's here, what's going on?"

"You will get all of your questions answered once we finish here. I will need all of your help. Our main goal is to rescue all of the people inside and run Team Rocket out of there and into Officer Jenny." He was wearing his traditional outfit, cape and all.

"Do you know if Gary Oak is in there?"

"Yes he is, but you must not worry about him right now. I want you to draw the two guards away from the door," he was looking at Lucy and Misty, "so we can go inside to get the rest of the Rockets outside. We will meet you back here once we succeed."

"How do you want us to distract them?"

"You're smart, Mist. I know you will think of something." Misty felt better knowing Ash had full faith in her. "Okay Riolu, you need to go into your Poké Ball now. I promise once everything is over you will come right out." Riolu nodded and went inside his Poké Ball.

"Okay, Jenny is almost here. You two should take care of the guards."

"Right." The women ran off. Misty made sure Azurill was safe in her bag and called out her Staryu, and Lucy called out her Seviper. With a combined Water Gun and Flamethrower attack, the guards scattered and started to chase the two of them right to Officer Jenny.

"Now it's our turn." Lance started to head towards the lab and called out Dragonite. Ash chose Infernape, and Brock chose Croagunk. They went inside to find the halls deserted. After searching the building, they found a door that was slightly open. Voices could be heard, but none of them could make out what was being said. Lance moved over to the door and signaled the other two to make their way over. "On three, we rush in and capture whoever is in there. It doesn't matter if they are a Rocket or not, either way they will be in our custody."

Brock and Ash nodded. Pikachu was waiting to unleash sparks. Lance started to count and once three arrived, blew open the door.

The room was fairly empty aside from a few file cabinets and Team Rocket of coarse. Gary was sitting tied to a chair in the back corner of the room, looking battered, bruised, and drifting in and out of consciousness. There were a few grunts with guns and two members that looked all too familiar.

"Isn't this a lovely surprise?" It was Cassidy and Butch. "Looks like you have come just in time to see your friend die."

"There's no way that will ever happen. Infernape, Flamethrower." Infernape let out a huge stream of flames that struck all of the Rockets, causing them to drop their weapons. Soon a battle had begun. The grunts' Pokémon were no trouble in defeating, most of which were defeated with a single blow. Butch and Cassidy's Hitmontop and Houndour, on the other hand, were another story. They were holding their own against Lance's Dragonite, but that meant they were focusing solely on it and not their prisoner. Brock took notice as Croagunk was busy with a small group of Raticate and both Ash, who called out Sceptile for added assistance, and Lance were preoccupied with their own battles. He called out Sudowoodo to retrieve Gray, who had tipped over still tied to the chair. It was enough of a distraction to cause Cassidy and Butch to take notice and avert their attention away from the battle they currently were in. Seizing the opportunity, Dragonite launched a Hyper Beam at the two Pokémon and sent them flying into the wall, knocking them out. Pikachu then followed it up with a Thunderbolt to incapacitate the remaining grunts that were still willing to fight. With the grunts knocked out, they began to focus their attention on the two Rockets who were the cause of all this mayhem and backed them into the wall.

"This is it you two. Surrender now and come with us unharmed, or keep fighting and be dragged with us." Lance was moving closer to the two Rockets until they were backed right up against the wall.

"You think it's over. It has only just begun." There was a huge explosion, and the two disappeared through a newly created hole in the wall. The grunts that somehow managed to get back on their feet were not quick enough to escape. Infernape and Sceptile had moved quickly to stop them from escaping. Ash was kind of hoping that this room was not all that important because the walls looked like they would collapse at any moment and the file cabinets were bent and battered from where grunts' Pokémon were thrown into them.

Soon Officer Jenny appeared with a few other officers to arrest the remaining grunts. Misty and Lucy were there as well. Gary was carried out of the building on Sudowoodo's shoulder and came around once outside.

"What happened? I was sitting in front those Rockets preparing to die, and next thing I know, you guys show up and I pass out."

"Everything's alright, Gary. Just tell us what happened when you left Snowpoint City."

Gary took a deep breath and told them everything. He went out for a walk the morning he was captured when someone pulled a bag over his head and beat him until he became unconscious. When the bag had come off, he was sitting in a chair in his lab. They demanded to know everything he knew about fossil restoration and cloning. He refused, and the beatings started after that. Every time he said nothing or would not give up the information they wanted, they would beat him. Eventually they grew impatient and threatened to kill him. He had again refused to give them the information, and they were about ready to make good on their threat when Ash, Brock, and Lance arrived.

"Why do you think they were after all that information, Lance?" Ash asked looking worried. He knew how much trouble fossilized Pokémon could be and knew of a few clones and the power they possess. In the wrong hands, they could destroy everything.

"I don't know. You didn't tell them anything, right?"

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Gray snapped at Lance.

"Easy there Gary, I am just trying to help. I will have to tell the other G-Men about this. Oh and Ash, I look forward to seeing you battle at the Indigo League Tournament in eight months." Lance hopped onto Dragonite and flew off to who knows where.

"That was lucky running into him here. Who knows what could have happened if he didn't?" Misty began to breathe easily again. All this was too much. She had almost lost another person she cared about to the hands of Team Rocket, but none of them knew about that.

"Lance still didn't tell us what was going on," Ash complained.

"I'm not sure if he knows either. All he might have known was that Gary's lab was in trouble and went to check on it," Brock said, trying to think of an explanation.

"Oh well, I should probably go check on everything. I told the rest of the researchers to take a few weeks off when I left for Snowpoint. It would be terrible if they return to see everything destroyed. And Ash, I still have to give you your surprise. Wait right here." Gary ran back inside. Everyone was curious as to what the surprise may be.

Gary ran out with three Poké Balls in his hand. "For you Ash, Happy Birthday."

Ash took the balls and opened them. Out of the Poké Balls came three prehistoric Pokémon, Omanyte, Kabuto, and Aerodactyl. "Wow Gary, what made you think of these as gifts?"

"I have plenty here, and I thought you and my grandfather might enjoy trying to take care of them, seeing as you switch up your team only every so often. Plus, I want you to win the Indigo League seeing as I can't anymore."

"Always the thoughtful one, aren't you Gary?" Ash said sarcastically.

"I can take them back if you don't want them, Ashy-boy."

"No, no, I am sure your grandfather would love to study these guys at his lab. Besides, I am always looking for a challenging new task like this."

"Good, now, I think you have six Pokémon already, right Ash? If you give me three of them, I will send them over to gramps for you."

"Thanks Gary. That'll be great."

"Alright, I should probably get back to trying to survey this place. Smell ya later Ash." With a wave and a smile, Gary walked away with Charizard, Buizel, and Sceptile to send back to Professor Oak's.

"Alright return." The three ancient Pokémon were returned to their Poké Balls, and Ash released Riolu. "I told you you'd be back outside eventually."

Riolu smiled, happy to be outside again.

xxx

Back at Team Rocket headquarters, Giovanni was getting informed of the day's events at the youngest Oak's laboratory. "We are sorry to report the mission a failure. Lance and those brats from before stopped us before we could get any information out of him."

Giovanni gritted his teeth at the mention those brats. He knew all too well what they had done to disrupt his operations in the past. "Come back to headquarters for a new mission. I will find a way to take care of our pest problem." The two bowed and hung up.

He called for his secretary to send in his three most reliable operatives at once. Once they arrived, he turned to them and said, "I have a new assignment for the three of you. There has been a new disturbance in our plan that needs to be taken care of. I am sure you remember that worthless Pikachu you were always trying to capture. I want you to track down the trainer and finish him off as well as his friends." The three bowed and stepped out of the office.

_I will take care of the Champion myself when the time comes, but for now, we wait._

xxx

"Did you hear what he asked us to do? I don't think I can go through with it," James said.

"I don't like it either, but what do you think we can do? We really don't have a lot of options. He has been 'removing' unfaithful members ever since we have started on this new project." Jessie sighed.

"Ain't yous guys forgettin' about our foist mission concerning da twoips? Don't ya tink _he_ would like ta know 'bout dis," Meowth said with a concerned look on his face.

"You're right. He would know what to do in a situation like this. The only problem is that it's been, what, three years since we last reported to him," James said trying to count the years it had been since they were given a new mission in Unova.

"Don't you think he would have forgotten about us by now? Normally if you go three years without contact, they expect the worst." Jessie was normally the confident one of the group, but based on experience with Giovanni in the past, she had to be a little skeptical.

"Naw, he'll understand. It's not like he would make us go trew wit it. Da target is more precious ta him den life itself," Meowth said confidently.

"Alright, I mean what do we have to lose?"

With that, the three walked farther away from headquarters to hopefully get answers to their new dilemma.

* * *

><p>Those three will be back soon. After that, at least once more. I don't know how much I will use them, and at this point in what I have written so far, they are doing stuff off page. I won't get into too much detail, but I am sure some of you have an idea about what is going on with them. Then again, as I write this, I came up with an idea that could utilize them a little more. It might be awhile before that shows up because lately I have been getting a serious case of writers block. The last three chapters I have written (39, 40, 41. I am way ahead of you guys. Sheesh) have been rather difficult to finish. 42 is flowing a little easier than the ones before. Hopefully, Easter Break will be good to me (no writing or editing, but ideas tend to stay stuck in my head until I write them out). I won't say what my plans are for this story (mostly because I really don't have much of one so no one can realy help me out), but I will say that Ash will run into trouble along the way (hence the title. I just kinda figured that one out. Hehe).<p>

So, why on earth is Lance in Sinnoh when Cynthia could've probably handled the situation? I don't know. Maybe Cythia called him in because he has expierence with dealing with Team Rocket. He will be back soon and will be an important player in the future (kinda, maybe, a little. I will let you know what I figure that out). I'm not trying to make you all think I have no idea what is going on in my story (even though I think I have said it before). I just have a lot on my mind right now.

Review, please. Have a Happy Easter.


	15. Angie

Hope everyone's Easter was great (or whatever you celebrated this past weekend or if nothing, just a good weekend). Mine was pretty fair. Got an idea after watching the play _Les Miserable_. This is not it. I have to work it out in my head a little bit more before it gets written out (if at all). It won't be a part of this story.

Is it wrong that I had this song, "Angie," stuck in my head while I wrote this one? And whenever I watched episodes with her in it (I tend to make odd connections at random times)? It may not show in what is written, but I was in a Rolling Stones mood that day (I am in no way connected with the song or the band, no matter how much I wish it to be true).

This will give you all a glimpse of the new relationship between Lucy and Croagunk. It will also show another reason for putting Brock and Lucy together.

I couldn't remember what Angie wanted to be so right now she is doing the Gym circuit. I realize that she works at her family's day care and could be her potential career path, but people can change their minds especially when they are able to go out into the world. For me, journeys are for self-discovery (same goes with Max's journey) so don't complain too much if I got it wrong. If someone could tell me if it was ever mentioned, that would be great. That is if I don't find it first (not very likely).

* * *

><p>Ch15 Angie<p>

They spent the next two months training and finding a way to reach the Grand Festival in time. Along the way, Misty captured a Finneon and both kinds of Shellos. Ash ran into his old friend, Hippopotas, who decided to join him on his journey.

Ash introduced Misty to many of the people he met last time he was here. Eventually, they had run into Angie on the way to Hearthome City. She was happy to see Ash and Brock again, but mostly Ash. She had started her journey a year after Ash competed in the Sinnoh League tournament, and not long after that, her Shinx had evolved into a Luxio.

"What are you guys doing back here, and where's Dawn?"

"I'm training for the Indigo League Tournament and finding new Pokémon for my team like this little guy." Ash directed his gaze down towards Riolu who still enjoyed riding in Ash's arms and would not let go of his little doll. Riolu had grown a lot stronger in the past month and a half but was still dependent on Ash. "Also, my girlfriend, Misty, wanted to find all sorts of Water Pokémon for her Gym in Cerulean City and for her quest to become a Water Pokémon Master." Ash then wrapped his arm around Misty's waist.

Misty was still getting used to the title of girlfriend. Sure, it was almost three months since their first kiss and confession. Now that she was, she couldn't help but believe it was all a dream, but Ash would rid those thoughts from her mind once he held her in his arms or gave her a kiss. This time though, she was brought back to reality when she saw the look on Angie's face when Ash told her who she was. She looked a little hurt. Misty knew that there would always be other girls who would fall for Ash just the same way she did. Okay, maybe not exactly the same way. Very few people fish their soul mate out of a river. In fact, she was the only one she knew who had such an encounter.

Brock broke the silence that had been building for the last few seconds and introduced Angie to Lucy. Both Ash and Misty were glad someone had spoken up. Ash wasn't totally sure why, but he could sense something was troubling Angie.

"So, where are you headed, Angie?" Brock asked after telling her every wonderful, yet excruciating, detail about Lucy.

"I was going to challenge the Gym in Hearthome City, but they said it was closed." Angie yawned. Hearing Brock go on and on about Lucy made everyone sleepy.

"Don't be too worried about it. Fantina is rarely ever around when you want her to be. We got lucky and ran into her while we were out traveling. I asked her for a Gym Battle, and she agreed to have one the next time we were in Hearthome City."

"She kinda forgets that she is a Gym Leader. She used to be a Coordinator and still goes out to find new combinations or judge Contests," Brock added. "You should come with us. We are on our way to the Grand Festival to watch Dawn perform, and Fantina should be there."

"I don't want to be a bother to any of you. I'm sure I would just get in the way."

"Are you kidding? We'd love to have you join us. We always have room for more on our journeys. Isn't that right, Ash?"

"Yeah, come on Angie. This is the only way that we can ensure you will eventually get that Gym Battle."

"I guess I'll go with you guys. Maybe it will be like that time we spent at that camp, except without all the odd activities and classes." She laughed, trying to hide her reluctance to join them. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she was feeling towards Ash. All she could think about was whether or not Misty was his girlfriend all those years ago and if he would have saved all of his friends the same way he did her.

As they traveled to Lake Valor, everyone told stories of their past adventures. Angie shared a few of her own, but none of them could compare to what Ash, Misty, and Brock had experienced. Lucy was even a little surprised when Ash talked about how many times he had saved the world with Brock's help. Apparently, Brock had neglected to tell her any of those stories.

"I didn't think it was something that needed to be said. Ash did most of the work."

"Always so modest." She gave Brock a kiss on the cheek. Brock started to get as he did whenever a pretty girl was in his sights, high pitched voice and everything. It took Croagunk to calm him down again. Before he could drag him away, Lucy gave him a glare that practically froze Croagunk where he stood.

"Wow." Misty looked at Ash, just as scared as the first time they saw her give that look.

"Scary isn't it?" Misty nodded to his question. Lucy wasn't very talkative but sometimes they preferred her to voice her displeasure instead of giving them her stares. Anyone who was caught in one would be petrified and unable to speak to her for at least an hour. Not because they weren't physically able to speak, they generally chose to save themselves the trouble by staying out of her way for a while. They did not even have to look at her when she did it. Feeling her stare boring into the back of your head was enough.

"I don't think I want to be on her bad side," Angie commented, shaking in fear as well.

"Yeah, uh, let's see. Where was I? Oh yeah, I had just gathered the last treasure and was flying on Lugia's back." Ash opted to tell the rest of the Orange Islands story to save Croagunk from another stare down from Lucy. He had gotten to the part where Misty had pulled him onto the beach after falling off Lugia's back. Misty wanted to stop him there and tell her part of the story but chose not to. She would save that for when it was just the two of them again, which by Brock's estimates, wouldn't be much longer. Once they returned to Kanto, Brock would have to go back to Fuchsia City to start a new term, and Lucy would have to go back to her Battle Pike. She enjoyed having them around but wanted some alone time with Ash.

Ash had finished the story, and Angie couldn't believe it. She couldn't understand how he always seemed to be in these positions.

"Did I ever thank you for that, Mist?" Ash asked.

"You were too stubborn. You would have never openly thanked me for anything back then. To be honest though, you have sure made up for it since then," she said while blushing. She had been thinking about all the time they had spent together the last five months. Misty also began to notice Angie was getting rather uncomfortable. She would try and talk to her about it after they set up camp and gone to bed, and something told her Angie was going to have a hard time getting sleep tonight.

xxx

It was getting late, and they still had another three hours before reaching Pastoria City. They set up camp for the night, and Brock started to make dinner. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Lucy called out their Pokémon for some fresh air and to help set up for dinner. Angie was amazed to see how well they all worked together, not just Pokémon with Pokémon but the trainers and the other's Pokémon as well. She then noticed some of Lucy's Pokémon, particularly Skitty, Swinub, Cyndaquil, and Makuhita. She walked over to Lucy who was handing out bowls of Pokémon Food to Pikachu and Chansey. "So is that why you are so in love with Brock?" She asked, pointing out the eyes on some of her Pokémon.

"That's part of the reason." Lucy tried to contain her blush, but history shows that it was impossible for her to do so.

Everyone ate and talked around the fire that Ash kept up by occasionally telling Infernape to reignite it with a small Flamethrower and adding more wood that Bulbasaur and Bayleef had carried back from the woods.

Everyone started to drift off after dinner. Brock and Lucy were the first to go. Ash was soon to follow with Riolu curled up on his chest, clutching his little doll as he slept. Misty was watching Angie. Her eyes had never left the fire once everyone started to fall asleep.

"You want to tell me what's wrong? I know we just met and everything, but I can tell something is bothering you."

Angie didn't change her position and kept staring at the fire. Eventually she asked, "How did you two meet?"

This surprised Misty a bit. "Why would you want to know that?"

"I don't know." She kept staring at the flames, almost wishing they would give her answers to the questions that kept swirling around in her head.

"If you really want to know, I fished him out of a river on his first day as a trainer. He fell in after being chased by a flock of Spearow and stole my bike to reach the Pokémon Center as soon as possible. I tried to follow him, but a storm started to whip up. Eventually, I saw a bright light in the sky that I later found out came from Pikachu. He was protecting Ash from the Spearow because Ash was doing the same for him. I eventually found my bike along the side of the path that leads out of the forest completely destroyed. I knew where he was going, so I ran to get to catch up with him as fast as I could and make him repay me for the bike. I was furious, but I couldn't stay mad for long. He truly cares for his friends and would do anything to protect them." With Misty's last words, Angie looked up. _So he does treat all of his friends that way._

Misty smiled, seeing that Angie had finally looked up from the fire. "He saved the Pokémon Center from a Team Rocket attack that night as well, so again, I couldn't stay mad forever. I started to follow him, telling both him and myself that it was because of the bike. Even then, I think I knew it was not the case." Misty stopped and looked over to where Ash was sleeping. He looked almost exactly like he did the first night they camped out together, minus the tight ball on his chest that was Riolu.

"Wow." That was all Angie could say. She had never heard a story quite like that before, and that was including the world saving stories from earlier that day. "Maybe you two are destined to be together."

"Yeah." Misty sighed, thinking about what the future had in store for the two of them. "It doesn't help that when Togetic was a Togepi he thought Ash was his daddy and now Azurill thinks the same thing."

They both laughed. They spent the rest of the night talking about the crazy things Ash had done in the past. With each passing story, Angie began to think that she would never be able to put up with his antics. She did not want to voice this next question, but it seemed like the only thing that she abolutely needed an answer to. "How can you still love this guy despite all these stupid things he does? I mean, some of the things he does almost cost us our lives and his as well."

Misty took a moment before answering. "I guess it's just one of those things that I wouldn't change about him. It makes him who he is. Besides, his motives are pure whenever he does stuff like that. It may not seem like it at first, but he would never willingly put any of us in danger."

Angie smiled a little before getting up and saying good night to Misty. She waited a little bit before following suit after extinguishing the fire. _She just needs more time to figure out what she really wants.__ I don't think she's the type of person to steal him away from me. Plus, she seems to believe that we are meant to be together._

She climbed into her sleeping bag and positioned herself so that she was right next to Ash, almost touching. She took one last look at him before rolling onto her back and settling into a sleep with her last thought being _Just remember you're not the only one willing to do anything for the people you love._

* * *

><p>Reasons for no Ash and Angie: If ages were actually recorded and changed throughout the series, Ash would probably be about fifteen or sixteen in Sinnoh while Angie would have been nine or ten. For me at least, five years is pushing it for a relationship. Plus at this point it would be considered statutory rape in the US (Ash: 19, Angie: 14-15).<p>

Part of my idea involves getting rid of any obstacles that might come between Ash and Misty. By obstacles I mean other shippings. Any shipping that would go against will be worked out. For example, I have May and Drew together. You will learn a little about Dawn's future pairing soon. With Angie, I did not just put her in here to do just that. She will probably come back when Ash returns to Sinnoh in the far future (by that I mean well after his run in the Indigio League tournament). I am still working on the plan in between what is done and what the end will be. Remember what I asked at the end of the beginning note because that could help in determining what will happen in that situation.

Reviews greatly appreciated. I don't mind people tearing it to shreds as long as there is reason and suggestions on how to improve. The last little bit especially. I rewrote it quite a few times and still not likeing it all that much.


	16. The Grand Festival

I spent most of this morning trying to figure out if I was actually going to post this. My reasons will be known at the end notes.

Okay, I am not a big contest fan (as stated earlier in my notes). I also don't enjoy writing them. I am not that type of person. That being said, I am not going to describe the appeals (they can be what you want them to be in your head) and only do the final attack of the final round. The story is more important to me than the contest.

Speaking of which, the end of the chapter will bring back Giovanni's order to get rid of Ash and more fun with Lance. Why is he still in Sinnoh? To be honest, I really don't know. I'm sure I will think of a reason soon (will it actually happen, most likely not).

* * *

><p>Ch16 the grand festival<p>

"I don't think we'll make it in time for the Appeal Round, Ash." Brock looked at his watch. They had just arrived at the Pastoria City Pokémon Center and had another three to four hour walk ahead of them. The Contest would be starting in less than two hours.

"Don't worry about a thing. I planned for this." Ash had pulled three Poké Balls from his side. Once outside, Ash called each Pokémon out. Soon, Charizard, Pidgeot, and Staraptor stood by Ash's side. "I quickly called Professor Oak once we got here. These are my fastest fliers and should get us there in time to at least see Dawn's Appeal."

Ash helped Misty onto Charizard, Brock helped Lucy onto Pidgeot, and Staraptor allowed Angie, who seemed to be lost to her thoughts since she woke up, to climb onto his back. Soon, all three were in the air and flying straight towards Lake Valor. It was rather cold up in the skies, but Misty didn't seem to notice. It could be that Charizard's body temperature is so high that it warms the riders as they go, but she felt that it was the fact that Ash was there to make sure she did not fall off.

They made it to Lake Valor with a half hour to spare. They took their seats inside the stadium and waited for the festivities to start. Marian took the stage and announced the beginning of the Grand Festival. The opening ceremonies didn't change much from when Ash and Brock last saw it, and sure enough, Fantina was announced to be one of the judges. "I told you she would be here," Brock told Angie. She simply nodded, but really wasn't paying attention to what was said.

The appeals got underway. Just like last time, there were three stages that the appeals were being performed on due to the large number of entrants. Being familiar with contests, Ash and Brock were not overly impressed with some of the initial performers, but Lucy, Misty, and Angie, who figured she might as well enjoy herself for a while and hopefully take her mind off Ash, were amazed with everyone's performance.

Dawn's turn finally came and impressed everyone with her team of Pachirisu and Mamoswine. "She has definitely improved from the last time we saw her."

"You can say that again. I just hope her battling skills have improved." Ash nodded his approval. Soon there were only a few contestants left. Two of them looked very familiar. Ash was the first to recognize who they were. "Guys, it's May and Drew."

Sure enough, both of them took their respective stages and began to perform. Both of them did well. Drew was still a lot better than May was, but no one would ever dare tell her that. The last entrants finished their routines, and Marian announced that the thirty-two Coordinators who moved on to the next round would be revealed on the video board. Dawn, May, and Drew were all listed in the first ten Coordinators. Once Marion said the battle rounds would take place early tomorrow, the group got up to wait for Dawn, May, and Drew to come out of the locker rooms.

As if the surprise of who was also competing was not enough, Max stood just outside the locker room doors waiting for May and Drew to emerge. He was not paying attention to his surroundings all that much and was startled when he heard Ash's voice call out to him.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We decided to come watch Dawn's performance and got a pleasant surprise when we saw May and Drew take the stage."

"Yeah, I think I remember you guys talking about that when we were in Snowpoint. At the time, Drew and May weren't sure if they would be able to get their last couple ribbons needed to participate. I decided to stick around and watch them compete seeing as I haven't been able to spend much time with my sister lately."

"Why's that?" Misty asked.

"She went off with Drew after competing in Johto to compete here. She said she wanted to spend some time out on the road by herself. Obviously that didn't last very long because somewhere along the line she began dating Drew. I've been working with my dad so that I would be ready to become a trainer when the day came. I competed in Hoenn and barely got into the top sixteen in the tournament. After that, I roamed around Johto and Kanto until your birthday party. I haven't been competing in the Gyms as often, but will occasionally challenge one just to see how I'd do. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when all my traveling is over."

"I can totally see where you're coming from. I'm doing the same thing with my journey," Angie piped in.

"Sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Max," he said as he extended his hand.

"Angie," she replied a little hesitantly. She did not know why, but something told her that this was a guy she should get to know.

They talked some more, most of the conversation was between Angie and Max, until the three Coordinators walked out of the locker rooms. The girls were surprised to see everyone, and Drew just gave them his hair flip. Dawn introduced Angie to May and Drew and began catching up with everyone.

"It's so great that you guys came to watch us perform."

"You guys looked great out there. Ash and I are very impressed at how much you all improved as Coordinators."

"Thanks guys. What are you all doing tonight?"

"We were going to find someplace to eat and camp out near the lake. Most everywhere is full."

"You could all bunk with us. I wouldn't mind and I'm sure Drew and May wouldn't either." May nodded in agreement, but it looked like Drew didn't like the idea too much.

"No, we really don't want to intrude. Besides, it's supposed to be lovely the next couple nights."

"If you're sure about that, then I guess we will have to respect your decision. How about we join you guys for dinner then? We can spend more time together and talk about what's been going on since we left Snowpoint."

"Max still can get over the fact that you beat him that badly. Isn't that right Max?" May questioned her brother with a sly smile. Max really did not know how to respond other than looking away embarrassedly.

"Looks like you have a new rival, Ash," Misty said sweetly.

"He's wanted to be my rival since I beat his dad in a Gym Battle. I guess now I will have to take my training more seriously," Ash said which brought a laugh out of everyone.

"Come on you guys, I starving. Let's go get something to eat," Angie begged the others to get moving before her stomach grew too obnoxious.

"You sound just like my sister and Ash. I thought they were the only ones capable of out eating a Snorlax."

Max soon regretted ever saying that because May started to beat him into the ground. Ash knew it was a joke and merely laughed at the response it got from her. Misty was really in no position to do anuthing seeing as she was usually the one leading the charge when it came to Ash and his eating habbits. Once the trashing ended by means of Drew pulling his girlfriend away from her brother, Angie helped him get back on his feet and helped him walk a safe distance behind his slowly cooling off sister.

They found a nice place to eat and talked about what had happened to Gary.

"Don't you think it's odd that they would ask about fossils and cloning without taking anything?" Dawn asked.

"We don't know if anything was taken. Gary still hasn't finished his inventory of the lab, and last time we talked, all he wanted to know was if the Pokémon he gave me were doing alright."

"What did he give you? I bet they were really rare. Come on, tell us." Max could hardly contain his enthusiasm. Any Pokémon that came from a researcher had to be pretty special.

"My, aren't you awfully excitable," Angie said with a smirk, causing a light blush to form across Max's face. He could definitely tell he was beginning to like this girl.

"Well, he gave me an Omanyte, Kabuto, and Aerodactyl. I would have asked Professor Oak to send me Aerodactyl for our flight here, but I wasn't sure how he would handle someone flying on his back."

"That's very wise of you, Ash. I still have nightmares of that day." Ash and Brock knew what day Misty was talking about. Ash was almost killed by an Aerodactyl that had woken up after thousands of years. Luckily, Charizard was able to save him while Jigglypuff sang everyone to sleep. "That's one day I wish I could forget, but how can I when it was the day we found the Togepi egg."

"What do you mean 'we' found the egg? I was the one that found it. Remember, Mist?"

"You found it; we found it, what's the difference? Togepi chose me as his mother so I think the question of ownership is pointless."

"What day are they talking about?" May whispered to Dawn as the two began arguing over the events of that day.

"I was hoping you knew."

"I don't think they would want to talk about it with you guys. It seems rather personal." Drew pointed out to the two whispering girls.

"Maybe I will let you be right this one time, Drew." May smiled at her boyfriend.

"When am I not right?" Drew asked.

"It might be best if I don't answer that," May said before leaning in for a kiss.

"Get a room you two," Dawn squealed.

"Whatever happened between you and Kenny, Dawn? He seemed to have really liked you." Brock asked. He remembered Kenny had asked for advice about Dawn. Okay, he didn't ask for it. Brock just assumed he needed help, and he was right for once. This question managed to stop Ash and Misty's little squabble.

"He got too into his training. I haven't spent much time with him in a long time, but who knows what will happen in a few years." Dawn sounded hopeful.

"I'm sure everything will work out," Brock said smiling. "Just look at those two. It took them almost nine years to get to this point and couldn't be happier."

"I guess you're right. Well, we should probably be getting back to our rooms. We have a big day tomorrow." Dawn got up to leave, and May and Drew followed suit.

"It was great seeing you guys again. You will stop by before the battles begin, won't you?" May asked.

"Of course we will." The original trio said in unison while Lucy and Angie just nodded.

"Great, see you then." Max did not get up right away. He nearly fell out of his chair when May called for him. To make things even more embarrassing, he ran into the glass door on the way out. This little scene caused Angie to giggle a little. She did not quite know why but spending the night talking with Max helped her keep her mind off Ash. The three Coordinators and Max left the restaurant, leaving the others to pay for dinner.

"They could have stayed and paid for their dinner," Ash pointed out.

"We'll take care of it this time, Ash. When they come to watch you in the Indigo League Tournament, they will pay for ours."

"Then I should probably start planning a huge meal for us at the most expensive restaurant we can find at the Indigo Plateau." Ash laughed. "Come on; let's get this taken care of so we can start setting up camp."

Once dinner was paid for, they left and found the perfect spot to set up camp. It wasn't too far from the Contest Hall and was overlooking the lake from a ledge almost ten feet above the water's surface.

xxx

Ash couldn't sleep that night, and he didn't quite know why. He wasn't the only one though. Riolu and Misty were sitting near the edge of the ridge staring out over the lake.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ash said as he sat down next to Misty. Riolu ran over to sit in his lap, still holding his doll close.

"So beautiful," Misty replied and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Almost reminds you of a certain event all those years ago."

"Sure does." Nothing more had to be said. They both knew what the other was thinking about. The night on Maiden's Peak where they shared their first dance. It was also the first time Ash had seen Misty wear her hair down for something other than when she went to bed and her water shows. She would still have her hair in her regular ponytail, but Ash always seemed to prefer it down like it was right now.

Ash then started thinking. _We technically haven't been on a date yet, at least what would be considered a date by most. We spend most of our time together. Going on a date might kind of seem, I don't know, redundant._

"What are you thinking about?" Misty asked, seeing the look on his face. _It's so cute watching him struggle to think._

"I don't know. Just about how we have been boyfriend and girlfriend for a few months now, and we really haven't been on what most would consider a date."

"It's okay. Our dates are our adventures. Just because society says how things are supposed to go, doesn't necessarily mean that's how it should. We are different. This doesn't get you out of buying me jewelry, though." Misty gave him a smile.

"I know, Mist." They sat there in silence for a few moments. She leaned in and rested her head against his body. He wrapped his arm around her and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. They felt like they could just fall asleep right there, but a rustling and other strange sounds stopped them.

"Who's there? Come out and show yourself," Ash called as he got to his feet. He tried his best to make a connection through aura. He had a strange feeling that the auras he was sensing were oddly familiar. "Get ready, Riolu, tonight might be your first chance at a battle." Riolu looked ready to go. He had given Ash his doll and took a fighting stance.

The sound and auras were coming from a bush not too far from where they stood. "When I tell you, Riolu, I want you to charge towards that bush over there and use Force Palm on whoever is behind or inside it, understand." Riolu nodded. Misty readied herself by taking out Staryu's Poké Ball. "Okay, now."

Riolu rushed the bush. The aura generated from his hands was enough to send whoever was behind it out into the open.

"YOU!" Misty and Ash cried at the same time.

"Who do you think it would be, twerp? We're the only ones that ever followed you anywhere." Jessie looked angry. Obviously getting forced out of a bush by Riolu was not part of their plan.

"What's going on? What are they doing here?" Brock, Lucy, and Angie had just woken up from all the commotion. Pikachu stood on all fours emitting sparks from his checks.

"Cool it, Pikachu. We're not plannin' nothin'. Jus' give us a chance ta explain." Meowth was trying to untangle his legs from Jessie's hair, and James was sitting next to the bush seeing Pidgey circle his head.

"You have two minutes to explain yourselves before I set Pikachu on you. And trust me, his attacks hurt much more than they used to."

"Fine, just keep him restrained while we speak," Jessie said nervously.

"I don't think you have any leverage here," Misty said calmly.

"Jus' leave da talkin' ta Meowth," Meowth said as he scratched Jessie across the face. "So, as ta why we're here is ta warn you 'bout what could come if yous guys aren't careful."

"What are you talking about Meowth?" Ash was starting to get confused. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Team Rocket never came to warn Ash about impending danger, mostly because they were the cause of it.

"We was given orders ta off you and anyone travelin' with ya by da boss."

"Why are you telling us this, and why does he want us gone?"

"You have gotten in his way too many times, and he sees you as a threat to his latest mission," Jessie said.

"And he gave us the order to kill you. We don't have the stomach for that kind of evil." James had finally come back around after Azurill launched a Water Gun at his face.

"You see, we are simple tieves not moiderers," Meowth added.

"What are his plans, then? Does it have something to do with the research Gary has been doing?"

"We don't even know that. We have become his most trusted officers, and he wouldn't even tell any of the higher ups," James said worriedly.

"Mist, give me your Pokégear. I need to make a call."

"Sure Ash." Misty handed over the device, and he left the area. The three Rockets were too scared of what might happen if they tried to leave so they stayed where they were, cowering.

After a few minutes absence, Ash came back. "Okay you three; Lance will be here in a few minutes to bring you in for questioning. I suggest you tell him everything you know. The G-Men are not ones to play nice when it comes to extracting information."

The three of them looked at each other scared out of their wits. Before they could say or do anything, Lance and a few other G-Men landed right behind them. "I take it these are the three you told me about."

"Yes they are. Hopefully you will get more information out of them then we could."

Lance had the three handcuffed and strapped to the back of a Pidgeot. "Thanks for the call, Ash. We'll get to the bottom of this as soon as we can." Then, they flew off into the night.

"That was weird." Angie was the first to speak.

"Do you think we're safe?" Lucy asked Brock.

"I don't know. I'm sure Lance will let us know if we aren't. Until then, we should be extra careful, especially when we go back to Kanto."

"Right, Lucy and Angie should be fine. It's May, Dawn, Brock, Mist, and myself that they are probably after, mostly me though."

"I wouldn't put it passed them to target anyone you have made contact with in the past, Ash. They will try to get to you in any way possible. I just can't stand the thought of not being with you." Misty started to cry. She rarely ever did, but whenever she did, it was always at the thought that Ash would be gone forever.

"Don't worry, Mist. We've dealt with Team Rocket before, and we'll do it again. I won't be going anywhere, I promise." Ash held her close, rubbing her back and holding her head.

"Well, we should try and get some sleep, not that it's likely." Brock tried to take their minds off the previous events and said the last bit under his breath. No one could get to sleep that night, and if they did, it was a restless one filled with nightmares.

* * *

><p>Okay, I was thinking about delaying posting this one for a while. This past week was kinda a downer, and I wasn't totally sure why until this morning. To keep things simple, I think my grandfather's death is affecting me more than I originally thought. I know it's been two months but the thing that really has been eating at me is the fact that I had to miss the funeral. I guess it just the fact I never really got to say goodbye that makes it hurt so much. I decided that I really am going to take a break this time. I was already planning on taking most of the summer off of writing and updating, so what's wrong with starting a week early. Exams begin next week so it wasn't likely that I would be able to get much done anyway. Besides the personal problems, I want to keep this and the next chapters together. Then I realize that the following chapter has some stuff that connects with this one as well. Long story short, I might get the next one up on Thursday if I have the motivation. The one after that can wait until July-ish to post. I realize that is quite a long time for a break, but I don't want you to get discouraged. I will still respond to reviews during that time and be back to update once I get my personal problems out of the way.<p>

Now to lighten the mood a bit, I want to thank Amber0522 for putting me through hell to try and get her suggestion to work. She may have only suggested the idea, but writing it was a pain in the ass. I'm kidding of course. I was in need of something to do with Angie in this chapter and the next and wasn't coming up with anything. It did take some work mostly because I have no base point to start with (with Brock and Lucy I had a full episode to work with. These two have no shared screen time so everything is coming from scratch), but I managed to at least plant the seeds of whatever the hell you want to call this shipping (I couldn't find a name for it mostly because I don't think many people have ever thought of seriously putting these two together). So again, thank you.

Just FYI: when it comes to suggestions, go ahead and offer them to me. I will try to work what I can in if it is possible. Just don't get your hopes up because not every suggestion will be used. Some things might already be included because I'm that far ahead of you guys.

Another weird thing about Lance, I don't know how he managed to show up that quickly. Some things are best left to suspension of disbelieve I guess.

As far as reviews for this chapter, just let me know how you liked the Max and Angie interactions so I can determine where to go with them from here. Both of them won't show up for a long time, and that part hasn't been written yet.


	17. Champions

Still down but needed a break from studying.

One thing I want to clear up before we move on. Lance is both the Kanto and Johto Champion. His place in the Elite Four for Kanto is replaced by Koga. That means both Koga and Bruno are a part of both Regions' Elite Four. More on this when it comes up again.

A little Legendary madness in this one. This is only a small fraction of what is to come involving them.

* * *

><p>Ch17 champions<p>

Ash was the first to wake up. He had the most horrible nightmare involving Team Rocket and Misty. He tried to get it out of his head, but Misty's lifeless body wouldn't go away.

He got up, being careful to not wake any of the others and walked over to the ledge. Riolu was woken up by Ash's movements and joined him. He picked up Riolu, set him on his shoulder, and stared out over the water. He wanted a sign that would tell him what to do. He wanted everyone to be safe and didn't like that he would be the one responsible if something bad happened. Riolu knew something was bothering him and looked into his face. _I'm fine Riolu. I just have some things on my mind._

Just then, a hazy object started moving towards him from out over the water. He recognized it almost immediately.

"How are you, Azelf?"

Azelf began doing backflips in the air, happy to see Ash again. Of course it wasn't Azelf's full form in front of Ash, but seeing it made him more relaxed. Riolu was scared at first by the sudden appearance of the shadow of Azelf but relaxed a little watching it amuse itself in front of Ash.

"You're the Guardian of Willpower, but I could use a little knowledge from Uxie right now. Maybe you can help me though. I don't know what to do. Team Rocket's after me, and I don't want any of my friends put in danger because of me. I know that they would be happy to help, but I just don't want to lose them."

Azelf gave him a nod, but ran away once it heard a noise coming from behind Ash. "No, wait! Come back. Please."

"Who are you talking to?" Misty had gotten up and was standing right behind him with Azurill in her arms.

"Azelf showed up. I was asking for help. I think it was about to give it to me when it heard you wake up," Ash said looking directly into her beautiful Cerulean eyes.

"I'm sorry. Why were you asking for help in the first place?"

"Azelf is the Guardian of Willpower and is probably one of the few who could help me make up my mind or direct me to find Uxie. Even though I know where to find it, I don't think it would want to see me when he is kinda attached to Brock. I don't want to risk losing you," Ash said as he pulled her into a hug.

"If this is about last night, don't worry about it. We are here for you. We will always be by your side whenever you call for us." Misty began to tear up again. The thought of being apart hurt her more and more now that Team Rocket has entered the picture. "I will never leave your side," she whispered.

"Thank you. Maybe we should get everyone else up so we can go meet up with Dawn, May, Drew, and Max."

"Yeah." She was about to pull her hair up into a ponytail when Ash stopped her. "What's wrong?"

"I just think you should wear your hair down more. It looks too perfect to be restrained by a ponytail." She blushed at his comment and decided to leave it down for the day.

Ash ordered Pikachu to wake up Brock and Angie, making sure Lucy would not be disturbed by the Thunderbolt. Once awake, everyone started packing up and headed back towards the Contest Hall. Dawn, May, Drew, and Max were waiting for them at the door and led them to a small café for breakfast. Everyone was still a little tired so not much was said, well everyone except Max and Angie who continued their conversation from yesterday.

When breakfast was finished, the Coordinators left to get ready for their battles while the others went to find decent seating. Ash was curious to see how Riolu would react to seeing a new kind of battling style.

Marion addressed everyone in the stands and called their attention to the video board for the first round pairings. May, Drew, and Dawn were not paired up against each other to everyone's relief.

The first round went fairly smoothly. May had a little trouble with her opponent but managed to pull out an impressive victory. Drew and Dawn both had just fewer than three-quarters of their points remaining when their opponents were defeated. The following two rounds were a little tougher, but all three managed to pull through. This meant, however, that two of them would have to face each other to make it to the finals. The last two rounds would take place tomorrow afternoon.

Before Marion let everyone leave, she announced the pairings for tomorrow's battles. May was paired with Drew. Dawn's opponent, from what everyone had witnessed in the day's battles, barely got into the semi-finals by just outlasting the clock before the final blow could be made.

"So, what did you think of those battles, Riolu?" Ash asked the little Pokémon. Riolu just shook his head. "Didn't like it? Don't worry. I haven't performed in a contest in years and don't plan on starting now." Riolu let out a sigh of relief. It was quite obvious that Riolu just wanted to battle without worrying about how he looked, just like Ash.

"Hey guys, what did you think?" Dawn yelled as she ran over to the group who were now seated outside the Contest Hall. May was dragging Drew along with her. He really wanted to work on some of his combinations before going up against May tomorrow.

"You guys were great. Can't wait for tomorrow. You want to grab something to eat before you go back to your training?"

"Sure." They all left for the Seven Stars Restaurant for dinner. May had made reservations ahead of time. The tag battles were fairly easy, considering the overall strength of each individual trainer. Ash and Misty had the easiest time in their battle and took out their hosts with one hit each. Brock and Lucy and May and Drew had almost as easy battles. Max volunteered to battle with Angie. Surprisingly, they worked well together and came out victorious. Dawn battled by herself but did not seem to mind. She wanted to give the Pokémon she was not going to use in the next day's battles some experience. Most of the conversation was about the battles that had gone on that day and what to expect from Dawn's opponent.

Once their meals were finished, they all went their separate ways, Coordinators to train, Lucy and Misty to explore the vendors around the Contest site, Ash and Brock to set up camp for the night, and Max and Angie went on a walk around the lake. Once the girls got back to camp, they sat around the campfire and tried to get Angie to reveal what went on with Max. Eventually everyone fell asleep.

xxx

The next morning, everyone packed their belongings one final time. They would fly to Pastoria City after they celebrated with everyone. By the time they reached the Contest Hall, Misty received a call on her Pokégear. It was Lance, and he sounded serious.

"Hello, I need to talk to Ash."

"Sure. Ash, Lance wants to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll meet you guys inside." The rest of them, including Pikachu and Riolu, left so that he could talk alone with Lance. "What's up, Lance?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. Based on the information those three gave us and what Gary told us, we cannot fully make out what Giovanni is planning. It does appear, however, that he is looking for something."

Ash had a faint idea of what he was looking for because at that moment, a hooded figure had landed on the roof of the Contest Hall. It was no ordinary man. No, this was a Pokémon. He was surprised to see it and figured that it only came to find him because something was wrong. "Can you hang on for just a few minutes? I need to talk to someone real quick about what you just told me. Don't worry. I'll call you back when I'm done."

"Fine, Ash, but make it quick." Lance hung up.

Ash looked up at the roof and saw that the Pokémon was still there watching him. Ash signaled for it to follow him into the forest to avoid being seen by other people. Once they were deep enough in the forest, the Pokémon revealed himself to be Mewtwo. "What are you doing here? Isn't it dangerous for you to be out during the day time?"

_Yes it is, but it is something I must do. The other clones have been disappearing, and I was hoping that you would help me with my search in some way._

"I might have some information that may be relevant, but before I tell you, I need to make this very clear. I am going to have to tell somebody about you. I have a feeling that Giovanni's trying to find you again."

_That's not possible. His memory as well as the memories of those connected with his team had been whipped. He cannot remember me._ Rage started to build up and a dark aura began to expel from Mewtwo's body.

"I think it is possible. Listen, Team Rocket had taken over a friend of mine's lab and had asked for information about cloning and fossil restoration before we came in and stopped them. Then, I receive this call just before I see you arrive here telling me that Giovanni is looking for something. And now, you show up and tell me that some of the clones are now missing. I can't help but think he knows about you. I don't know how because I'm sure you took every precaution necessary to ensure he never finds out. If I don't tell this person about you, though, I am afraid he might capture you and kill anyone who stands in his way. My friends and I have already been targeted. Neither of us knows what he is planning to do with you. What we know based on past history with Team Rocket is that it can't be anything good." Ash had a worried look on his face. He had never seen Mewtwo so angry before, or maybe he had and could not remember where he had seen it.

Mewtwo seemed to have calmed down a little. _I will allow you to tell this person one thing about me, and that is that I am going to visit him. Tell him that it will be tomorrow night, and he is to be in his home alone. Tell him if he doesn't meet with me, I will take matters into my own hands and cause a great deal of destruction. I trust you, Ash Ketchum, for reasons you do not know. We will meet again._ Mewtwo then flew off into the sky and disappeared behind Mt. Coronet.

Ash quickly redialed Lance's number. "Hey Lance, sorry about that."

"You should be. Never interrupt a conversation with a Champion unless there is a good reason."

"Well, I did have a good reason. The, uh, 'person' that I talked with will be meeting with you tomorrow night at your place. You should come alone. If you don't, this 'person' will go after Giovanni without you and possibly destroy most of Kanto looking for him. You have no idea what power this person possesses."

"Are you sure this person can be trusted?"

"I am sure, Lance. Just do as the person says, and everything should turn out alright."

"Fine, I will agree to this only because I can trust you. If Giovanni is planning something big, we have to be extra prepared. I will call you when we find out more but for now, try and keep a low profile."

"Will do, Lance." Lance hung up, and Ash stood rooted to the spot he was standing trying to process everything that had happened. _I don't remember if I told Mewtwo where Lance lives. I don't even know that. He probably has a way to find out._ He then remembered why he was alone in the first place and ran back to the Contest Hall.

Ash had missed the semi-final battles and arrived in the middle of the final. Drew and Dawn were battling with just less than two minutes left, but both were down to their final fourth of their points. Drew's Roserade and Flygon looked exhausted, yet not in as bad a shape as Dawn's Togekiss and Piplup. Ash stayed standing in the back so that he would not disturb anyone when he went to find the others.

Dawn saw how exhausted the Pokémon were and decided to go for broke. She quickly ordered the Rocket Formation they used in the finals against Zoey. Piplup got onto Togekiss's back and began to charge up their respective attacks. Drew knew he had to think of something fast after seeing his points cut in half. It was too late. His Pokémon were too exhausted to react quickly and were hit hard by the attack. Flygon managed to get to its feet before collapsing again. Roserade just didn't get up. The buzzers sounded meaning the two Pokémon were unfit to continue the battle, and Dawn was declared the winner and Grand Festival Champion. The next few moments were mass hysteria. The stadium erupted with cheers. Dawn nearly fainted but was supported by Togekiss and Piplup. The two Coordinators shook hands at the center of the stage, and Dawn was presented with the Ribbon Cup and declared Top Coordinator.

The celebration afterwards was massive. It seemed like everyone from Dawn's hometown was there as well as all the people she had met along the way. Ash met up with everyone there. "Where have you been? You missed an excellent final battle, and I was starting to get worried." Misty scolded him.

"I'm sorry. My talk with Lance ran a little long. I got to see the final move though. I couldn't be happier for Dawn. I'd hate to be in May's position though. I don't think it's going to be easy to comfort him after this one." Ash had a point. Drew wasn't one to let a loss like this go, especially when it meant losing the Championship. He was sitting with May far away from all of the celebrations.

"What did you two talk about?"

"I'll tell you when we are in a much less crowded environment." He was just pushed into Misty, almost crushing Riolu who was sitting in her arms. "Sorry Riolu. I didn't mean to be away for so long." Riolu was just happy to see him again.

"You should probably go congratulate Dawn. She's been running around looking for you. I think she has something to tell you."

"I guess I will." He took Riolu out of Misty's arms and let Pikachu climb onto his shoulder. He was just about ready to look for Dawn when he heard a shout and felt the wind get knocked out of him.

"Can you believe I actually did it? Oh, sorry Ash." She just noticed that he had fallen to the floor. Luckily, Riolu and Pikachu managed to escape the fall.

After he got up, he gave her a hug and said, "I always knew you would do it. It was your dream to be Top Coordinator, and now you are. Congratulations."

"You know what this means now, don't you?" She asked with a grin spreading across her face as she reciprocated the hug.

"I think I have idea, but I have a feeling you are going to tell me anyway."

"It means you are going to have to win the Indigo League Tournament and become Champion. Then you can face all the other Leagues and become a Master like you always dreamt you would be."

"If you let me go, I can get back to working on that dream." What was once a simple and innocent hug had quickly turned into a backbreaking squeeze.

"Oh, sorry again, I need to go find everyone else. I will see you all soon. Goodbye."

"Bye Dawn. Should we start looking for Brock and Lucy?"

"I already know where they are. They are introducing Max and Angie to Fantina so she can finally have that Gym battle." Misty pointed directly behind her. Sure enough, Angie and Fantina were in the middle of discussing their upcoming battle, Max was sitting in an empty chair next to them, and Brock and Lucy were standing right next to them. Ash waved for Brock, who gave Angie, Max, and Fantina a wave goodbye and walked over with Lucy.

"You ready to go?"

"Whenever you're ready," Brock replied, and together, they walked out and climbed onto Charizard and Pidgeot's back and flew to Pastoria City.

* * *

><p>Unless I say otherwise, Misty's hair will be down from here on out.<p>

Dawn, May, and Drew were never really favorites of mine, but hey, they are here for a reason (not sure what it is yet, but I am also nowhere near done with the story). The winner is easily explained by the fact that Dawn is the only one out of the three that managed to reach the Finals in her first attempt. Plus, having a Togekiss that finally has experience helps.

And with that, I bid you adieu. I still plan on a July return, but who knows what will happen between then and now. Continue to read and review while I'm away. I will still respond to reviews but not as quickly as before.


	18. Orders and Surprises

I'm back and ready for more. This time away actually helped me get some ideas worked out in my head. I have made cuts and expanded some (well, I'm in the process of doing that), and hopefully they will make the story better.

I want to respond to a unanimous review before I get into the story. I felt like it should be addressed so that everyone can sort of see what the plan is. First, when I say "completed" in terms of chapters, it mean written out but not final. The chapters that are posted are the final cut. The countless chapters that I have finished are a way to help me with the edits. I won't get too deep into my reasoning because to most it would seem convoluted. Second, Team Rocket trying to kill Ash will make a little more sense later on, but for now my reason is my Giovanni is a combination of the Manga (more sinister and cunning) and the Anime (powerful and has resources). I did also say it had something to do with the last defeat Ash handed to Team Rocket.

So, I know that I haven't shown a lot of the team lately. The only ones who get any significant page time are Pikachu, Riolu, and Azurill. That kind of will change here. I am still making the Unova team a little ambiguous because I don't know what the final team will be by the show's end. I will, however, make it known soon what has happened with them. I did not use them while traveling mostly because they are not in any way native to these Regions. They will be utilized later. Also, Ash and Misty will eventually make their way to Unova, just not yet. I have a plan (sort of) and reasons why they will go there.

* * *

><p>Ch18 orders and surprises<p>

"Will you stop asking me these questions? I already told you everything I told Lance." Ash was starting to get annoyed. Ever since he told Brock and Misty about his conversations with Lance and Mewtwo, they couldn't stop badgering him with questions. They had to be careful though. They didn't want to tell Lucy about Mewtwo yet because they feared what Mewtwo would do to them if he didn't give them permission to tell anyone. They had to wait until she went to sleep if they wanted to talk about it.

"Fine, we'll leave it alone for now," Misty sighed.

"Thank you."

Just then, Misty's Pokégear went off. It was Lance again. It had been three days since Ash had spoken to him which meant he had already talked with Mewtwo.

"Okay Ash, I can see why you didn't tell me who it was, but next time, could you at least tell me that it's a Pokémon instead of a person."

"I guess I can give that a try. What's up?" Brock and Misty had moved closer to Ash to try and hear his conversation.

"Well, from what Mewtwo told me, I think it's a safe bet to say that Giovanni is after it. Why he is after Mewtwo is still unknown. As to why he is targeting you guys, I think it has to do partly with what happened at Gary's lab. The other part is your previous history with the organization. Based on what our spies could uncover, you have been in their way for a while. The last attempt at whatever it is they want almost crippled them because of what you managed to do. I'm thinking this is an all or nothing enterprise. He will either succeed or fail and cause the ultimate destruction of the organization. This is why we must not fail. I will be sending scouts to follow you and anyone else you may be close to. If they sense any of you are in danger, they have been ordered to step in."

"I don't want this. I can handle myself fine, so can everyone else I've met. Besides, my mother is always around Professor Oak, and he has some of the strongest Pokémon in Kanto."

"Don't fight this, Ash. This could get more dangerous than we previously anticipated. Based on what my spies have told me, anyone who gets in the way will be forcibly removed. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if we have an all-out war on our hands if he succeeds."

Ash took a moment before speaking. "Will we know who they are?"

"You won't even notice they're there."

"Fine, on one condition, you tell them to let us handle the situation unless it gets out of hand. That's when they can come in and save the day or whatever it is you want to call it."

"Good to hear you listening to reason, Ash. I will let you know if anything comes up." Lance hung up.

"You guys catch that. We're going to be followed from now on."

"At least we're going to be safe, Ash."

"I just don't like it. He says that I won't notice that they are there, but I will. I can sense everyone around me, and I would notice if there are people following us."

"You didn't that night Jessie, James, and Meowth came to warn us about all of this."

"That was because I wasn't expecting someone to follow us. Ever since then, I have been checking our surroundings every so often to make sure we aren't being followed."

"Calm down Ash." Brock raised his voice to try and stop Ash's ramblings. He almost woke Lucy up and made sure she was still asleep before he continued. "Worst case scenario, we are being followed by a Rocket, and the scene gets out of hand. We will have someone there to protect us if it does. Best case scenario, the G-Men follow us and are not needed because Team Rocket is too focused on whatever it is their doing."

"Listen to him, Ash. I'm sure they are not going to attack us as long as they assume Jessie, James, and Meowth are still following us. Remember, if we spend most of our time in areas with a lot of people, I don't think they would risk going after us and chance getting exposed."

"I guess you guys are right. I just don't like the idea of someone watching our every move."

"And you think we do? Trust me, I don't like that one bit, but when it comes to our safety, I'm willing to forego privacy for a little while."

"I think we should get some sleep. The ferry to Vermillion City leaves at noon tomorrow, and it's a two hour walk to the port in Sunyshore City. We will talk more about this in the morning when Lucy is awake."

They all got into their sleeping bags, being careful not to disturb the people or Pokémon who were already asleep in them, and tried to get some sleep.

The next morning, they told Lucy what Lance had told them, minus the bit about Mewtwo. She did not take the idea of being watched too well either, but Brock managed to convince her that it was for the best.

Once on the boat, they all discussed what their plans were for the next six months.

"Well, I was thinking about going back to Johto after stopping off at the lab to check up on my other Pokémon. Don't worry Lucy, I will talk to Anabel. The way we're going will lead us right by her Battle Tower."

"Good, I don't want to see her get upset if I told her you would go and visit and you don't. You will come and visit us when you come back to Kanto, won't you?"

"Of course we will, just as long as I see both of you at the Indigo League Tournament."

"We wouldn't miss it for anything."

The trip lasted two days, so they still had a lot of time to spend together before they went their separate ways again. Once the ship docked in Vermilion City, they all said goodbye and promised to stay in touch. Ash then called out Charizard and flew with Misty back home. They were too tired from their flight and boat ride to spend too much time talking with Delia, which she understood and let them have their rest.

The next morning, they set out for Professor Oak's lab. Professor Oak had always said to expect surprises whenever he called for new Pokémon, and except for a few new moves learned, nothing was that surprising. What did surprise him was what hit him once he got to the fields behind the lab. He had expected a rather warm welcome from Bayleef when he returned but did not expect a Meganium to charge up and greet him.

"Hey look at you. Could you get off if not so I can breathe, then so I can take a good look at you?" Meganium got off Ash and let him observe her new appearance. "Congratulations, you look great. I guess I should have brought you along with me more often." Meganium rubbed her face on his when he said this. She then moved over to Misty. Misty was surprised to receive the same sort of treatment Ash got from her whenever he visited.

"Looks like you've softened up a little bit since you've evolved," She said stroking the spot between her two antennae.

"Let's go you guys. Let's see how the rest have improved."

Meganium got down on her knees and offered to give them a ride to the designated practice area. Once they got on, they had one of the most uncomfortable rides they have ever had, and Ash had taken rides on his Tauros before.

"Hey Meganium, maybe you could slow down a bit. The ride's getting a little rough back here."

She eventually did, and once she stopped and let everyone off, Riolu had to run to a bush to throw up. "Poor thing," Misty said sweetly. "I'll go to the Professor to see if he has anything for Riolu. I'll be back in a bit."

"See you soon Mist." Ash waved as she ran back to the lab. He began to look around the training areas that Tracey and Professor Oak had designed not long after he left. There were four battle fields and a large pond for all of his Water Types. Most of his Pokémon were working on fine tuning their moves today.

As he looked at all of them, he couldn't help but notice some different Pokémon stood in the place of some of his more familiar ones. The Aron that he found in Hoenn and evolved during his battle against Dawn was now an Aggron, and his Marshtomp he was working on Counter Shields with was now a Swampert. Gible evolved into Gabite, Buizel evolved into Floatzel, Piplup evolved into Prinplup, Corphish evolved into Crawdaunt, his seldom used Torchic evolved into Combusken, Totodile evolved into Croconaw, Hippopotas evolved into Hippowdon, Wartortle evolved into Blastoise, all of his Unova team reached their final stages of evolution, and to his surprise, Bulbasaur was now a Venusaur.

"Hey everyone, I'm back." Ash called as he released Charizard, Pidgeot, Staraptor, and Infernape. Pikachu was already on the ground calling to everyone. Because of the increase in size each of them had experienced, the ground shook violently as they ran over to greet their trainer. "Slow down everyone. You're going to cause an earthquake. I have so many questions to ask. First Venusaur, what made you change your mind about evolving?"

Venusaur playfully poked Blastoise with one of his vines. Apparently, Venusaur didn't want his old friend to have all the fun and get better than him. He had also gotten over his fear of Venusaur from what Professor Oak and May had told him.

"Second, where's the Pokémon Gary sent me?"

"Over here Ash," Professor Oak called from behind him. Sure enough, Aerodactyl, Kabuto, and the newly evolved Omastar where right behind the Professor. He was walking over with Misty and Tracey with the medicine for Riolu. "Come here little Riolu. I have something that will make you feel much better." Sure enough, Riolu started to feel much better after drinking the medicine Professor Oak gave him. "See what I mean when I say to expect surprises."

"What have you been doing to them Professor?"

"I have done very little except teach your Pokémon new moves. It's their hard work and loyalty to you that has led to these evolved Pokémon."

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate all your hard work. We should be able to win that League Title with no problems at all." They all cheered. "What were you doing with those three, Professor?"

"I was trying to determine their diets based on the information Gary sent me. Most of the food they ate is extinct, so I have been working hard to find suitable replacements for them. Your Aerodactyl doesn't seem to accept anything we give him. I don't think he trust us yet. I am going to suggest taking him with you this time. He needs to learn from you about what you are doing because he just won't listen to us."

"Okay Professor, I'll take him with me, but I don't know if he will listen to me either. He's almost as stubborn as Charizard was. So that means I will be taking Gabite, Croconaw, and Combusken with me this time."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh Misty, I have a bit of information that may interest you. After you left with Ash and handed over the duties of Gym Leader to your sisters, the League Board decided to remove your Leader status and made you a regular trainer which is why you can only carry six Pokémon at a time. I had a talk with them, and they decided to reinstate you as one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean City. It will allow you to carry as many Pokémon as you want without having to worry about making substitutions in your line up."

"I never knew Gym Leaders could do that."

"It's fairly old rule that is only known by those who inform the League that they plan on doing some traveling and will leave their Gyms closed during that time. Plus it only makes sense if a Gym Leader can have all those Pokémon with them at the Gym, they can bring as many as they want as they travel. They don't like passing information like that around to just any trainer. They like to keep some rules secret and only reveal them to those deemed worthy of them. I should know, I wrote half of the updated rules." Professor Oak laughed.

"That's great, Mist. Now your sisters need to actually train their Pokémon instead of always relying on yours."

"What about Ash? I know he is still a trainer, but isn't there some way he can bring all of his Pokémon with him as well?"

"There is a way but that falls under those special rules only the privileged know about. I'm sure he will find out eventually, seeing how strong all of his Pokémon are. Just keep going for that League Championship and that battle with Lance, and I'm sure you will find the way to do it." Professor Oak gave him a smile.

"I guess I have to relearn patience, then. Go ahead and bring all of your Pokémon with you, Mist. I don't mind. I'm sure you miss all the ones you have left behind."

"I do. I can't wait to see the look on my sisters' faces when I ask for all of them, and they don't get any in return."

They all laughed as Pikachu started to make faces that matched what they were thinking exactly. Once Ash got all of his Pokémon he asked for, Misty decided to leave Lapras with Professor Oak until Ash called for his. They got everything they needed from the various shops in town before heading out again. Soon, they passed the spot where they met nine years ago.

"Remember this?" Misty asked.

"I should, but now that I think back, I had a lot on my mind when you fished me out. I wasn't concerned with where I was but in what direction I should be going." Ash laughed. He was right about having a lot on his mind that day. Not only was he worried about Pikachu, he also was surprised to see a beautiful girl standing over him. He didn't know why he thought she was beautiful then, but he sure does now.

"Good thing I noticed Pikachu, otherwise I would have thrown you back in." They both were laughing now.

After regaining his composure, Ash wrapped his arms around Misty's waist and pulled her close. "It's moments like that that make me wonder what would have happened if I was on time to meet Professor Oak. The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

"Neither would I." They did not separate until Ash felt Riolu tug at his pant leg.

"Don't worry, we didn't forget about you guys." Riolu smiled and leapt into Ash's arms. "We should probably get going again. If we hurry, we might make it to Viridian City before night fall."

They set off again with memories of the past still fresh in their minds.

* * *

><p>So, Bulbasaur finally evolved. Even though he was quite strong as a Bulbasaur, I could only see a limit to his potential. Plus, one can only be stubborn for so long. Change can be good. It just depends on the person's point of view.<p>

In my latest bit of research, it has come to my attention that Dawn will be making an appearance in Unova along with Cynthia. I do not ever plan on going back and changing Dawn's parts so that it fits into the Anime better. I should have assumed that she would at some point because all of his traveling companions do at some point in the following seasons. My story will essentially assume that Dawn never went to Unova. In my mind, this takes place about a year after Ash finishes in Unova.

Anyway, sorry for the long delay. Hopefully you all are still interested in this story and will continue reading. As always, reviews are helpful.


	19. Anabel and the Brains

Pretty quick between updates. Don't expect this to be a recurring thing. I kinda felt that you guys deserve a little more for waiting so long.

Character outside of the traveling group that could potentially ruin Ash and Misty part 2: Anabel. She was an interesting character when she was on. To be honest, she would probably be the only other girl I could see Ash with. Not saying she will at any point steal him away in this story. It just might give me an idea to begin another project down the line. The conversation with her will be a little like Misty's with Angie but with Ash involved. She won't really have time to mull things over because there will be a surprise for her in the middle of the conversation, not necessarily a good one.

* * *

><p>Ch19 Anabel and the Brains<p>

It took them another two days to reach the Battle Tower by foot from Viridian City. Aerodactyl was unwilling to let them fly on his back mostly because he was not used to the idea of people riding Pokémon. Who could blame him though? It's not every day a Pokémon wakes up after a thousand or so years in a place that looks familiar and yet foreign at the same time. Not much is known about the prehistoric periods, but from the mixed reactions of the Pokémon Gary gave him, it is safe to assume that there was some human contact in their past, just not with Aerodactyl.

Once they arrived at the Battle tower, Ash saw Scott waiting outside. He was still in the same outfit he wore when they met years ago but seemed to have put on a few pounds. "Hey Scott!" Ash called out.

"Hey Ash, it's been a while since we last saw each other. How's your journey going?"

"So far so good, I am training for the next Indigo League Tournament with my girlfriend, Misty. I can't remember if you have met each other."

"No we have not. The name's Scott, and I am the director of the Battle Frontier."

"So you're the one Ash will have to talk to if he decides to take you up on the offer of becoming a Frontier Brain," Misty said, shaking Scott's hand.

"You could say that. So, have you come to a decision on that yet?"

"We will see once the Tournament's over, Scott. I am still weighing my options."

"Well, I can always build your facility close to your girlfriend's place if you want."

"It's not just that. I have to take all things into account before I decide whether or not I want to become a Frontier Brain."

"I understand, Ash. These decisions take time, even if it has been six years since you completed the Battle Frontier. You are the last one who has been able to defeat everyone."

"Yeah, Lucy told me that last time I saw her. So why are you here, Scott?"

"I am making my usual rounds visiting all of the Battle Facilities. I could ask you the same question."

"Lucy suggested I talk to Anabel. I'd rather not say what we'd talk about, but it has something to do with me," Ash said feeling a little embarrassed.

"I see. Well, she should be out in a few minutes, and we don't talk too long anyway unless something's come up." As Scott said this, the doors behind him slid open, and Anabel walked out.

"Hey Scott, here for the usual checkup, I presume."

"As always, anything new to report?"

"Everything is pretty much the same unless you are hiding two new challengers behind your back." Anabel could tell that Scott was hiding someone behind his back. Scott was never very good at concealing things from any of the Frontier Brains, but it was all too easy for her to figure out what it was.

"No, just an old foe wanting to say hi" he replied as he stepped to the side and revealed Ash and Misty.

Misty looked at Anabel and observed some of her features. _What is it about Ash that draws tomboyish girls to him? I could answer that, but what about the others? Melody was just trying to make me jealous, and Angie, from what Ash has told me, was saved by him a few times. I don't even know what the deal with Latias is nor do I want to go there. What about Anabel?_

Anabel took a second to read their emotions. She could see that Ash was happy to see her, but she could also tell that the girl standing next to him shared a deep connection with him. She also could detect a little bit of jealousy in her. "How are you, Ash? It has been quite a long time since we last saw each other. Is she the reason why you could not tell what I was feeling towards you?"

"I guess you could say that. Anabel, this is Misty, my girlfriend." Ash motioned towards Misty.

"Well, I guess I will leave you to talk if nothing has come up, Anabel. I will see you in a few weeks at our next meeting." He got in his car and left.

"Bye Scott. So, do you want to come with me to my place for some lunch or would you rather talk out here?"

"I think your place would be best," Ash said, and Anabel lead them to her home. It hadn't changed much since Ash was last here. Last time he was inside, he had thought Anabel was a guy and had to change their clothes because they fell into the lake. Ash had a feeling this would be the more awkward encounter.

Anabel brought out a tray of sandwiches for everyone and sat down across from Ash and Misty. Everyone grabbed one except Riolu. He looked around and saw Azurill and Pikachu had already taken one. He looked up to Ash to see if it was alright. _Go ahead. It's alright._ Ash told him telepathically. Riolu smiled and started eating the one Pikachu had given him.

"I can see you have finally learned how to empathize with your Pokémon, Ash."

"It's nothing like what you do, Anabel. Riolu is the only one I can connect with like that, but there is a reason."

"Aura, right? Don't look so surprised, Ash. I know quite a bit about the Aura Guardians. I was researching them while I was trying to develop my own powers to see if I was one of them. As you can probably tell, I am not. Anyway, I want to know more about you two. Tell me everything."

Ash and Misty just looked at each other trying to figure out where to start. Ash started off with how Ash was late and got Pikachu at Professor Oak's and how he was attacked by the flock of Spearow. Misty then cut in explaining how her sisters pissed her off so much that she decided to go out on her own and leave the Gym to her sisters. They went through the whole bike incident and told stories that in hindsight were important to them. Once they started to discuss the events of their latest journey, Anabel couldn't help but feel deeply moved by Ash's actions towards Misty.

"You two are really made for each other," Anabel said after they finished their stories.

"That's what Angie told me when I first met her. You probably don't know her, seeing as she's from Sinnoh. It just seems like everything has been directing us towards each other. One of us had to give in and make a move eventually, and now that he did, I couldn't be happier." Misty smiled at Ash. She was not a big believer in fate, but when it came to Ash, it didn't matter if it was fate or not that brought them together. All that mattered was that they were finally together.

Anabel watched as the two just stared into each other's eyes and wondered if anyone would ever be anything like that for her.

There was a knock at the door. "I should probably go get that." Anabel got up and went to open the door that was right behind her chair. A tall, slightly muscular man dressed in black stood in front of her when she opened the door.

"Are you Salon Maiden Anabel?" The man said in a low voice. If he had looked behind Anabel, he would have noticed Ash and Misty, but this man was oblivious to them.

"Yes, what do you want?" Anabel was trying to read this man to find the answers.

"I need you to come with me. My boss would like to have a word with you."

"And who is your boss?" She was trying to stall the man so that Ash and Misty had enough time to react to her motioning to them behind her back. She had a feeling she knew who this man worked for and wondered why he would be after her. Very few knew about her gift, and those who did knew better than to go around spreading it.

"I don't think that is important."

"I'm sorry, but I don't make appointments with anyone who will not tell me their name."

"You don't have any say in the matter. You are to come with me no matter how rough I have to get."

"Okay Riolu, Force Palm!"

Riolu had snuck up to the man and hit him squarely in the chest. The man flew ten feet backwards and landed with a thud. Anabel quickly shut the door and lead everyone to the back door.

"We need to hide. I'll call Lance and tell him what's going on. He should be nearby and won't have any trouble reaching us soon," Ash ordered as he checked to make sure no one was following them. They kept running until they found a small cave in the mountains nearby.

"Hey Lance, we got a problem. A Team Rocket member showed up at Salon Maiden Anabel's house and tried to kidnap her."

"I wish I could help, but we're kind of busy at the moment. The other Frontier Brains are being attacked as well. So far, they have been able to fight off the Rockets and force them to retreat, but I'm afraid that they may have to go into hiding, especially Brandon, Anabel, and Noland. Brandon and Noland both know the whereabouts of Legendary Pokémon and Anabel may be able to help them in their search for Mewtwo. We are also having close surveillance over Sabrina's Gym. She may be able to track down Mewtwo as well, and we want to be careful. We won't know for sure that is the reason why Giovanni is after them until we obtain more information. You are able to contact Scott, right?"

"Yes."

"I need you to tell him the situation, and that we highly suggest closing the Battle Frontier until we figure out what's going on. I advise you to bring Anabel to the Indigo Plateau so that we can discuss what to do. I will talk with you again soon."

"He really needs to end his conversations better," Ash said. "Okay, we need to keep moving. I'm pretty sure you will be safe once we get to the Indigo Plateau," He said looking at Anabel.

"What's going on, Ash? I can tell something bad is going on."

"Team Rocket is after the Frontier Brains. Lance seems to believe that it might have to do with some of them being connected to Legendary Pokémon but isn't positive. He told me to tell Scott that the Battle Frontier has to be shut down until this gets cleared up." He had already started dialing for Scott as he explained it to her.

"Hello?" Scott answered.

"Hey Scott, it's Ash. I have some news that you are not going to like." He then explained everything Lance had told him save for the Mewtwo parts.

"Are you sure that it's necessary to close down the entire organization?"

"When it comes to Team Rocket, you better be prepared for the worst. We are on our way to the Indigo Plateau with Anabel. Hopefully, we can talk with Lance and find out more. Until then, I do think it's necessary. I'm sure all the other Brains will be meeting there as well, and you should come to."

"Alright Ash, I'm only doing this because I trust what you say is true. I will meet you at the Plateau in a few hours."

"Great, see you there. Let's go before that Rocket finds us." They made sure that the coast was clear so that Ash could call out Aerodactyl. "I know you don't like the idea of someone ridding on your back, but this is an emergency. I need you to take us to the Indigo Plateau."

Aerodactyl just looked at him. Reluctantly he agreed to let them climb onto his back and took off a bit awkwardly. It took a while, but he managed to muster enough strength to reach a decent height and remain stable. Despite his size, everyone managed to fit somewhere on his body. Anabel was holding on for dear life to Aerodactyl's neck. Misty had made sure Azurill was safe inside her bag before getting situated behind Anabel between his shoulder blades. Ash, Riolu, who was clinging on to his doll with a death grip, and Pikachu had positioned themselves behind the other two so that they could shift their positions in case of an attack.

Once in the sky, Ash could sense they were being followed. Six distinct figures, three of which were Pokémon, were slowly gaining on them. He then felt a gunshot go flying past his head. He looked behind him and saw three men dressed in black were following him on Fearow. Aerodactyl got spooked and started to fly faster and a little more erratic. It took all Misty and Anabel had to try and calm him down.

Ash ordered Pikachu to launch Thunderbolt attacks at each one but missed. Ash then tried to send Aura Spheres at them but missed as well. Ash couldn't help but think that this part of Team Rocket was on an entirely different level compared to what he was used to, seeming how easily they managed to avoid getting hit. Soon, fatigue set in and Ash ordered Pikachu to continue the attack while he tried to recover the spent energy.

Another shot was fired. No one was hit, but Riolu's doll had splintered from the collision with the bullet causing the splinters and scraps of wood that resulted from the collision to hit those in close proximity. Because Aerodactyl's back was covered with bodies, he managed to only get pierced slightly, but he was too spooked and full of adrenaline to notice anything wrong. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu managed to avoid most of the damage, getting their clothing torn but otherwise only a few scratches. Riolu, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He took most of the debris to the right side of his face and shoulder. A few pieces managed to pierce on contact causing some of his fur to be stripped away. Riolu was stunned. Ever since Ash gave him that doll, he had been the happiest he had ever felt and was getting close to evolving. Now that the doll was gone, Riolu wanted to defend his trainer from the people who would cause so much harm. With his right eye closed, he climbed around Ash and started to glow.

Ash's eyes widened. Riolu was evolving in order to protect everyone. Once the process was complete, the newly evolved Lucario began firing Aura Spheres at the three men. Lucario managed to hit two of them causing them to fall but began to tire and was starting to fade. Ash caught him before he could fall off the back of Aerodactyl. Before he could tell Pikachu to retaliate, something had fired a Hyper Beam from the trees below at the last Rocket. The Rocket fell like the others and ended the attack. Ash did not want to see the fate of their pursuers, but couldn't help being curious about the Pokémon who saved them. He couldn't think about for long because he felt something warm trickle down his arm and hand. He looked down and stifled a cry. Lucario was lying in his arms bleeding profusely. Even though the wounds on his face came before he evolved, he was still bleeding, and Ash did his best to stop it using Misty's handkerchief. "Don't worry Lucario. You will be alright soon, just hang on."

Misty never looked back. She knew something happened to Riolu because she felt a few pieces of wood hit her back. She assumed the worst. Even when she heard the sound of the Hyper Beam hit its target, she did not look until Ash began to speak softly to Lucario, clearly fighting tears. The sight made her turn back.

Once they landed at the Plateau, they were greeted by a small group of G-Men. Aerodactyl collapsed from the strain and only then noticed the slight bruises and scrapes on his skin. Ash asked to be taken to a Pokémon Center immediately. He recalled Aerodactyl and carried Lucario all the way there and watched as Nurse Joy took him to the Emergency Room. The Chansey took Aerodactyl to another part of the Pokémon Center for his treatments. Misty, Pikachu, and Azurill stayed with Ash and tried to comfort him. It was not all that helpful. Misty knew it would not help all that much seeing as Ash needed to see it to believe it. The only thing she could do in the meantime was clean up the cuts and bruises they got from the exploding doll. After an hour of waiting, Nurse Joy finally emerged from behind the ER doors.

"Aerodactyl will be fine. The cuts were not too deep, and he will be ready to go after a nice long rest. Lucario will be fine as well. He just lost quite a bit of blood and passed out because he exerted himself so much. We got all of the wood out of his face and shoulder, but the scars will remain. I recommend he stay here for the night. You can go visit him after you are done talking with Lance. He needs his rest now."

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Ash had been on the verge of tears the entire time he was waiting and let them out once he heard the news. He was so happy Lucario was okay. In just a short amount of time, the two had deepened their relationship to try and understand the connection between them. They were almost as inseparable as him and Pikachu. Misty held him in her arms and to try and comfort him once more.

Lance eventually came into the Pokémon Center after being told Ash was there. "I'm sorry about what has happened Ash. I really am, but now we must start our meeting and I need both of you there."

"Fine, let's get it over with," Ash said whipping away tears.

Lance led them out of the Pokémon Center and into a large building that stood beyond the Battle Fields. Once inside, Lance took them to a conference room which already held all the Frontier Brains and Scott. They were seated at a long table trying to hold back worried looks. Ash could tell Lucy was the most scared out of all of them, even if she didn't exactly show it to everyone else. Ash and Misty decided to sit next to her at the far end of the table.

"We are still waiting on one more 'person' to arrive then we can begin out meeting."

Everyone was curious as to who this person was and began talking amongst themselves as to who it could be when the doors to the conference room opened again. The person who entered it was familiar to only three of them, and the rest were completely stunned. The creature moved to the head of the table and removed its hood.

_Let's begin this meeting._

* * *

><p>Please, please, please, please don't get mad at me for doing what I did to poor little Riolu. I did not do it because I like torturing little people (I may be a little sadistic at times, but I am no sociopath). I needed a way to evolve him, and this is what I came up with. Plus, I write everything I write because I have reason for it.<p>

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	20. Damage Control

Again, don't expect updates this close together for much longer.

I understand why few of you would be surprised to see Mewtwo show up. It's not like him to reveal himself out of the blue. Hence, this will be a bit of an explanation chapter, at least the first part.

I have found as I write this that I have a thing for scars. Lucario has a few, a Charizard you will meet in the future has one, Ash's disguise will have multiple (more on that when it comes up), and a surprise member of their team will have one. It could be that I have an affinity towards knives and other sharp objects (again, sadistic, yes. Sociopath, hell no), but I also have a few minor scars from a car accident a few years ago and one from me accidentally punching a light (not the greatest story in the world but it involves a Wii-mote, a 3 year-old cousin, and a small ceramic lampshade). Nothing too bad. You can barely tell they are there unless you know where they are.

* * *

><p>Ch20 damage control<p>

"What are you?" Noland was the first to speak. All of the Frontier Brains were too stunned to speak which is saying something for a few of them. Ash, Misty, and Lance said nothing. Lance had told them to let Mewtwo do all the talking.

_I am Mewtwo, an experiment done by Team Rocket to clone Mew._

Everyone remained silent. Mewtwo began telling everyone the story of its origin and its escape from Team Rocket. It then explained how it almost destroyed the world until Ash stepped in and prevented him from destroying Mew.

"How come I don't remember that?"

_I wiped your memories that day. You did not need to know what had happened that day. You were almost killed, but the Pokémon's tears saved you._

Ash couldn't stop staring back at Mewtwo. Mewtwo continued to explain where it had been hiding since then and how it had to relocate again because of Team Rocket.

_For years, the clones and I have lived in peace. It wasn't until recently some of them started to disappear. Both Lance and Ash believe that this may be a plot to recapture me by Team Rocket. Based on my knowledge of the organization, they are searching for the Legendary Pokémon for their own interests which are unknown. I can only imagine how they would want to use my powers. It is not a good sight to behold._

"But why us? I'm sure they could have gone after the Gym Leaders as well," Greta said infuriated.

_Some of you have access to Legendary Pokémon. Another one of you would be able to aid in their search if captured. I realize that if you do get captured, you would not give in to their demands. We think it is for the best that all of you remain here until everything gets sorted out. We are not going to stop you from leaving, but you will not be able to return to your facilities. We cannot risk any of you being captured. You will always have to be on the move so that you are not detected, and someone will be following you at all times._

"If you stay here, Team Rocket will not be able to touch you. We have strengthened security and no one can come or go unless given permission. The Indigo League Tournament will proceed as planned. We will just have increased security for the event." Lance began to speak after noticing some of the Brains start to get annoyed with what Mewtwo was saying. "We will give all of you time to make your decision to stay or go. We will meet tomorrow night so that you can tell us your decision. You all will be staying at the Trainer's Village until we can find better living arrangements. We will bring the rest of your Pokémon here within the next few days. Meeting adjourned."

Ash and Misty waited until everyone had left except for Lance and Mewtwo to talk with them. "What do you suggest we do? I know I can train here, but it wouldn't be the same."

"I wasn't expecting you to stay around much anyways, Ash. It is entirely up to you. We have noticed how cautious you have become now that Giovanni has targeted you. I do not see him making another move for a while, though."

"Then why did you tell the Brains what you just did if they aren't going to attack us anytime soon?"

_Team Rocket will only attack if the opportunity arises again. If the Brains stay at their facilities, they become easy targets again, and Giovanni would love to surprise them when they least expect it._

"We just want them to be safe."

"Fine, we will let you know our decision tomorrow. Right now, I need to see how Lucario is doing."

"Don't worry, Ash. Lucario are known as fighters and will pull through for you. One more thing before you go, my cousin, Claire, may have a surprise waiting for you if you chose to visit Blackthorn City."

"What do you mean 'may' have a surprise for me?"

"If you decide to leave you will find out. I will see you two tomorrow." Lance and Mewtwo left the room to discuss the new security measures that were to be in place.

Ash and Misty ran out of the conference room and headed back to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy was waiting for them to return. "Lucario is still asleep and appears to be stable. I will let you go in to see him now." She led them down the hall to where Lucario was resting. He wasn't hooked up to any machines and was breathing on his own, which was a good sign. Ash let Pikachu climb onto Lucario's bed and pulled over two chairs for Misty and him. They looked at his face and saw quite a few gashes on his cheek and snout. His evolution had caused a few of them to stretch across his face. Luckily, his eyes were unharmed. The spots where the fur had been ripped off revealed blue skin and dark red blood stains. His shoulder was wrapped and held in a sling, and Nurse Joy explained that it may take a few days to regain full mobility in his shoulder.

_I'm so sorry, Lucario. I should have done more to protect you._ Ash began to cry again. Misty let his head rest on her shoulder as she tried to comfort him.

_It's not your fault, Ash._

Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Azurill looked up to see where the voice was coming from. They then looked at Lucario, seeing that no one else was in the room, and saw his eyes flutter open.

"Was that you, Lucario?"

_Who else would it be, Ash? I'm the only one in here besides you that has the cabability to potentially telepathically communicate with other people and Pokémon. _Lucario smiled but winced in pain as he tried to sit up.

"Don't try to sit up. You need your rest." Misty began to move over to Lucario to try and get him to lie down.

_I'll be fine once I am sitting up. Thank you for your concern. How long before we are able to leave?_

"Well, you will need some time to heal your shoulder, but Nurse Joy said it would only take a few days if you do as she says. We will leave not to long after you have been cleared by Nurse Joy. I know you probably wanted to leave a lot sooner, but we just can't risk your health right now."

_I understand._

Nurse Joy walked into the room. "Ash, Professor Oak just called and wants to speak with you."

"Okay. Can you stay with Lucario until I come back, Mist?"

"Of course, Ash." She pulled herself closer to Lucario so that she could clean up some of his wounds that started to bleed again.

Professor Oak was waiting on the video screen when he got to it. "Hey Professor, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I just got off the phone with Lance not too long ago, and he told me what had happened. I was just making sure everyone's alright."

"We're fine. Lucario will need some time to heal, but we should be back on the road within a few days."

"That's great to hear, Ash. Now that your Riolu has evolved though, I was wondering if I could examine him for a few days. I know you two are almost as inseparable as you are with Pikachu, but I think that it would help aid in the recovery process. Lucario are really rare no matter what region you are from."

"I don't know, Professor. I would have to talk with Lucario first. Even though he has evolved, I still think he wants to stay by my side no matter what."

"I understand, Ash. Lucario is no ordinary Pokémon. Even though you said it was likely a newborn when you found him, he has grown to be quite powerful."

"You should have seen him before he evolved. A Rocket showed up at Anabel's front door, and he sent him flying ten feet backwards and did not get up."

"That is an amazing feat of strength. I can only imagine how much stronger he is now. I would be careful how you train with him, Ash. You must help him learn how to control his powers otherwise, people and Pokémon could get seriously hurt."

"I understand, Professor. Thank you for the call. I should be getting back to Lucario now. Please tell mom Misty and I are alright. I don't want her to worry too much about me."

"No problem, Ash. I will talk with you soon. Goodbye."

"Bye, Professor." They hung up, and Ash went back to Lucario's room. He found Misty still seated right next to Lucario, who had fallen back asleep. She was stoking his head and had applied new bandages to his face while Ash was gone.

"Thank you, Mist."

"Don't mention it, Ash. You probably would have done the same if I asked you."

"I would have, but then you would need to fix what I did when you came back," Ash said laughing a little.

"You're probably right. You can never mange simple tasks like that." He sat down in the chair Misty was sitting in before he left. "What did Professor Oak want?"

"He just wanted to make sure we were alright. Lance called him and explained what had happened."

"That's nice of him. What do you want to do now? It's almost seven, and we haven't eaten anything since we were at Anabel's."

"I'm going to stay here with Lucario. You can grab something to eat if you want. I'm not all that hungry."

"Ash Ketchum turning down food? That is a miracle if I ever did see one. I'll bring you something in case you get hungry later." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the room with Azurill at her feet.

Ash stayed by Lucario's side the rest of the night and into the morning. He fell asleep seated with his head on Lucario's bed. Pikachu and Azurill were curled up at the foot of Lucario's bed. Misty slept on the floor in her sleeping bag incase Ash or Lucario needed her.

xxx

When Ash and Misty woke the next morning, they had a few visitors waiting outside their door. Anabel had told Lucy what had happened on their trip to the Plateau and decided to see how Lucario was doing.

"Hey guys, how's Lucario feeling?" Lucy asked. Anabel already knew the answer but decided to let Lucy find out for herself.

"He's doing fine. He needs to rehab his shoulder before we can travel again. I don't want to show you his face just yet. He was still bleeding a little before he went back to sleep last night and it is not a very pleasant sight."

"Well that's good news. So you are going to be leaving the Plateau once he heals?"

"Lucario wants to keep traveling, and Lance said his cousin 'may' have a surprise for me in Blackthorn City. Lucy knows how I just can't pass up a good surprise."

"What have you two decided to do? I know Brock must be worried about you, Lucy." Misty had gotten off the floor and sat next to Ash in the open chair.

"I still don't know yet. I'm sure Brock would let me stay with him if I asked, but I also don't want to distract him while he studies. I also don't want him to give them up just because I'm in a little danger."

"I really don't have anywhere else to go, and I don't like to travel too much. Most Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains are like that though."

"I'm not. I hated being cooped up in a Gym. I love traveling too much to stay at a Gym for too long," Misty said a little angrily.

"That's why I said 'most,' Misty. I don't think it was your love of traveling that made you hate the Gym so much, though. I think it was a love for something or someone else that made you hate it." Anabel smiled at Misty, defensively.

Misty blushed bright red and Ash gave her a hug. It was then that Lucario began to stir.

"You're awake. How are you this morning, Lucario?"

_I am much better, thank you. I am a little thirsty, though. Do you have anything to drink that has more of a taste than water?_

"I'll see what Nurse Joy has. I'll be back in a bit." Ash got out of his chair and went to search for Nurse Joy.

"Wow! I don't ever remember seeing a non-Legendary Pokémon speak like that before. Well, not counting that Meowth those Rockets had, but this is impressive," Anabel said taking a closer inspection of Lucario. Lucy was just as surprised as she was.

_My kind is known for being able to speak like human's do depending on their trainer's ability to manipulate aura. Ash has great potential as an Aura Guardian and has worked with my telekinetic powers since we met._ Lucario told the others sounding a little bored with having to explain this to them.

"Don't act that way, Lucario. Lucy doesn't even know too much about Aura Guardians and neither of them have encountered a Lucario before. From what Ash has told me, you are only the second Lucario he has encountered who is able to do so. Only one of the other two Lucario he has met is training to become an Aura Guardian," Misty said.

_I didn't mean to be so rude. Please forgive me._ He bowed his head and begged for their forgiveness.

"Don't worry about it. Most people are just not accustomed to it."

After a few more minutes of talking with Lucario, Ash came back with his drink. "Nurse Joy said you can't have much else besides water and gave me this." He held up a dark looking liquid that gave off a foul odor. "She said it might not taste great, but it will help you recover quicker."

Ash sat on the bed next to Lucario and started to pour the drink down his throat. Once he finished, Lucario gave a look of disgust and almost spat the remaining liquid out of his mouth. _I would have rather had the water._

"Okay, let's get you onto your feet. Nurse Joy said it would be a good idea to get you walking again. I will lead you to her rehabilitation area so you can begin work on that shoulder. I will be with you the entire time if you need me. At about six, we will have to leave to talk with Lance about our plans. I figured you would want to leave as soon as you got better."

_Where are we going next?_ Lucario asked happily.

"We are going to explore Johto a little bit and meet up with one of Lance's relatives. He says she might have a surprise for me." He helped Lucario get to his feet. He stumbled a few times due to the fact that he had not used his legs in a while, but Ash was there to stabilize him as they went.

The rest of the morning was spent trying to get Lucario to just move his arm. As he tried to, he would yelp in pain and start to lower his arm down to his side. They took a break for lunch and tried again afterwards. Lucario slowly began to be able to lift his arm to shoulder height by the time six o'clock came around and was allowed to take the rest of the night off. He went with Ash and Misty to the meeting with the Frontier Brains after they had finished eating.

Most of the Brains decided to stay at the Plateau, namely Spencer, Anabel, Lucy, Brandon, Scott, and Tucker. Greta and Noland saw this as an opportunity to travel again and see new places. Once Ash informed Lance of his decision, he told Ash that he was definitely sure he would get the surprise when he got to Blackthorn City. The only thing he added was to be prepared to work for it. No one was totally sure what he meant but expected it to be a test of some sort.

They got back to the Pokémon Center and did the exercises Nurse Joy had told them to do so that Lucario's shoulder would not stiffen. They went to bed dreaming of what Lance had said and the surprise that waited for him.

* * *

><p>My goal with writing for Lucario is to keep some if his childish behavior until he gets older. He will have a bit of maturity thrown in here and there but that comes with evolution. He has been a part of the group for a little over two months and his hatching was not long before that, so he is still quite young.<p>

I am sure you all can probably guess what the surprise is. I will get into more of the reasoning behind it next chapter.

Keep reviewing.


	21. The Dragon's Den

This will probably be the last of the seemingly back-to-back updates. I have stuff to do and my birthday is later this month so there goes most of my time. I do plan on keeping a fairly similar pattern of updates from before my break, just don't freak out if I go long periods of time without doing anything.

This is the first time in a while that we hear mention of Ash's father. I have my reasons. It all has to do with future events, like most of the little random bits of conversation I throw in.

Ash gets his surprise today. I realize it was probably ridiculously obvious what he was going to get, but it kinda goes back to the Ash's father thing I mentioned.

* * *

><p>Ch21 the Dragon's Den<p>

Nurse Joy was right. It only took a few days for Lucario to fully recover his mobility in his right shoulder. Lucario was happy to be able to train with Ash again.

"Remember, Lucario, Nurse Joy said not to overdo your training for the next few weeks. You might reinjure your shoulder and make you miss more time that could be spent training."

_Don't worry about me, Ash. I know my limits. I will always go to you if something is wrong._ Ash was happy to hear that. Since he evolved, Lucario seemed more open about things around him. He loved exploring his surroundings, and his increased aura abilities helped greatly in that respect. It was a definite surprise to see how far he had come along with his aura powers. He was light-years ahead of Ash and once he figured out how he was able to do some of the things he was able to do, hoped that he could teach him. He was still a little naïve about certain things but that could be due to the fact that he was so connected to Ash, who still had some things to learn in life.

The scars on his face and shoulder were finally cleaned up enough to determine where exactly each one was. On his shoulder, they stretched to his mid-upper arm, crossed each other in random places, and consisted of about six major ones with plenty of marginal size. His face contained the most damage. One stretched from almost the tip of his snout angling down to the back of his head. Multiple crossed this singular cut at odd angles and seemed to avoid his eye completely. They all varied in length with the one on his snout being the longest.

They left for Blackthorn City not long after Lucario was cleared by Nurse Joy. They decided not to use Aerodactyl and walked. The trip through the mountains was difficult, but they managed to reach Blackthorn City within a matter of days all the while looking for the Pokémon that saved them from the Rockets. Not to his surprise, Ash did not find whoever did it, but was a little disappointed. He wanted to thank whoever it was, but Misty reminded him that they needed to keep going. Clair was waiting for them at the entrance to the city.

"It's so good to see you again. My cousin told me you would be here soon."

"It's great to see you to, Clair. He told us you had a surprise for me, and I had to work to get it. I would like you to explain that last part."

"Sure. First, and Lance knows this, I'm not the one with the surprise. Second, the work you have to do is not hard. It is a test, but it's not like any normal test you may have taken. If you would follow me, I will show you to the Dragon's Den." She led them to a lake in the northern part of town. "You must travel to the opposite end of the lake. Once there, you will meet three of the village elders. Do as they say and answer every question truthfully."

"Sounds simple enough. Can Misty come with me?"

"This is a challenge that you must face on your own with only your Pokémon to help. No other humans can help you."

"Great. I'll be back soon, Mist." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and called out Croconaw. He held on to his back with Pikachu sitting on his head. Lucario held on to his back and sped off across the water. As soon as he was out of sight, Clair turned to Misty.

"That's new," she said giving Misty a smile.

"Yeah, everyone isn't that surprised, though. Brock has been saying we should have gotten together years ago."

"Tell me everything that happened after you left me the last time."

Misty then started her story to pass the time until Ash came back.

xxx

Ash reached the cave that lead to the Dragon's Den and navigated the tunnels from memory and occasional help from Lucario. Once they arrived, he thanked Croconaw for his help and returned him to his Poké Ball. He looked around and noticed some changes that were made. The trees had grown back fairly nicely, and he could hardly tell what the fire had destroyed. "Where do you think they are?" Pikachu shook his head after trying to listen for people.

_I will see where they are._ Lucario got down on one knee and closed his eyes. The four black appendages on his head lifted up and started to vibrate as he held out his hand. He stood up and pointed to a building a good distance away from where they stood.

"Let's go." They started to walk over to the building. As they got close, they could see it was a shrine built, they assumed, to honor all the Dragon Type Pokémon who have inhabited the area._ That probably replaced the old shrine that was destroyed._

He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. He was about to give up and look elsewhere when the doors swung open. There were three men sitting on the ground in front of a huge stone altar. They all looked the same, except for the length of their beards. The one in the middle had the longest while the other two had beards of similar length but still fairly long.

"We have been expecting you, Master Ketchum," the one in the middle said with a voice that conveyed power and wisdom.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Clair told us years ago about your battle. We have been paying very close attention to you since then. We now think that the time is right for you to undergo the test," the man on the right said in a rather squeaky voice.

"Only one other outsider has made it here in our memory. You should be honored," added the one on the left in a soothing tone.

"What do you ask of me?" Ash asked as his heart began to beat faster and faster. The only other times he had felt like this was when he was with Misty. Except those were nice feelings. The feelings he had now were more of terror and nervousness.

"Calm down young one. The physical test has been passed with relative ease. You were able to control your Pokémon to get across the lake and through the cave with two more hanging on to you. Now we move on to the information part of the test. Please have a seat." The middle man directed him to sit across from him on the ground. Ash sat down and Pikachu climbed off his shoulder to sit next to him. Lucario sat on the other side of Ash.

"Now, come out little one." The man on the left turned behind him and motioned for something to come to him. It was a Dratini. The small Dragon Type slithered over to the elders. Upon seeing Ash, she moved over to him and draped her body over his shoulders with a happy expression on her face.

"I can see we don't have to worry about that test," the elder on the right said smiling.

"Yes, now to begin, we will be asking you questions about yourself and how you treat your Pokémon. We will also ask to see the other Pokémon you have with you. If you wish, you may call them out now." Ash nodded and called out Croconaw, Combusken, Aerodactyl, and Gabite.

"I see you already have a Dragon with you. First, what was your starter Pokémon?"

"Pikachu."

"How well do you get along with your Pikachu?"

"We are very close, even if it did not start that way. He did not trust me until I tried to protect him from a flock of Spearow that were attacking us. He then protected me from them, and we have been inseparable ever since." Pikachu gave the elders a nod.

"Now, about your Lucario, these are very rare Pokémon in any region one might visit, but how did it receive those scars?"

"We were being chased by Team Rocket while I was flying on Aerodactyl's back. We were trying to take a Frontier Brain to the Indigo Plateau for safety. Eventually, they started shooting at us. I had made a doll for Lucario when we first met when he was a Riolu, and it was hit and shattered. Pieces of the wood I used to make it hit him after the collision. He then evolved in order to protect me and everyone else."

"I can see you don't specialize in one type. Why?"

"As I traveled, I have met all sorts of great Pokémon. If they want to be my friend and traveling companion, I really don't care what type they are."

"Who would you say is your strongest Pokémon?"

Ash had never really thought about this before. Sure, all of his Pokémon are strong in their own way, but to pick just one would be extremely difficult. "I honestly couldn't tell you. I have lots of strong Pokémon besides these. I try to work with all of them as much as possible without focusing too much on one particular Pokémon. I try for a balanced team so that I am prepared for any kind of battle."

The questioning continued on like this for another hour or so. Most of the questions were about his training and battle techniques while a few were a little more personal. The personal questions were about both his human and Pokémon relationships. Then came the final question.

"Finally, what would you say is the most important thing about your relationship with your Pokémon?"

"Well, there has to be trust between the trainer and Pokémon. In order to gain that trust though, the trainer must put in the effort to become friends with the Pokémon. The way I see it, if you don't care about your Pokémon and understand their abilities, you have failed as a trainer. I care about each of my Pokémon and want them to be happy so that they can become the best they can be."

The three elders looked at each other. They began whispering amongst themselves. After a few minutes of nodding and whispering, they looked up at Ash. "We have decided that you are ready for the responsibility of taking care of one of the Dragon's Den's Dratini."

"What?"

"You heard me. Every year, we give out a young Dratini to the most deserving ten year olds in the city. We go around the Dragon's Den and hand pick certain eggs that will become a new trainer's starter Pokémon. Occasionally, Lance and Clair will drop off an egg that can be given to a trainer. Due to our old age, however, we are unable to tell if that is the offspring of one of their dragons. After monitoring your progress, we deemed you worthy to take the test. You have passed the final test, and the reward is the lovely Dratini that has been sitting on your shoulders for the past hour or so. I wish you congratulations and good luck." The middle elder stood up and invited Ash to do the same. He shook his hand and gave him Dratini's Poké Ball. "I trust you will take good care of her."

"I will sir. Thank you." He bowed and turned to leave. Once he was outside, the elders began to speak again.

"He reminds me so much of him."

"You don't think it is his son, do you?"

"I'm almost positive it is. His answers were almost exactly the same, and his appearance is so much like him."

"Do you think we should have told him?"

"No. He will find out eventually. If he is so much like his father, he will most assuredly run into him after all these years apart."

"But the way that Dratini reacted when she saw him was different than the way his did."

"You both know the legends. That should be enough to tell you that we were right in giving it to him."

The other two nodded and began to meditate once more.

xxx

Ash returned all of his Pokémon except Aerodactyl. "Just once more, Aerodactyl, that's all I'm asking for." Aerodactyl reluctantly let him onto his back, seeing as last time he did this they were shot at, and flew back to where Misty and Clair had stayed and talked. Misty and Clair were watching Azurill play with Clair's Dragonair. Once he had landed, Ash showed Misty Dratini.

"She's so cute. So that was the surprise Lance told us about," Misty said dreamy-eyed.

"Yeah, now I have to send a Pokémon to Professor Oak's so I can keep her with me," Ash said as he returned Aerodactyl to his Poké Ball.

"Maybe you should also ask for Charizard or Pidgeot instead of Aerodactyl. If we want to return to Kanto for some training, we may want to get to places we want to go here a lot faster than on foot. The tournament is in five months you know."

"I know, Mist. I just want Aerodactyl to get used to the idea that he may need to carry us on his back if we are running behind. Besides, five months is plenty of time. Professor Oak already told me where I should go to find certain Pokémon. Each place is not far from here and is relatively close to each other."

"Sounds like you all have some work to do here. I will let you go, but I want you to call me every once in a while to tell me how Dratini's doing."

"I will Clair, don't worry. We'll talk to you later."

"Bye you guys." She waved at them as they headed over to the Pokémon Center.

Ash told Professor Oak about his new Pokémon which may have been a bit of a mistake. Professor Oak started to get nostalgic and told him the story of how he caught his Dratini and how it eventually became the Dragonite it is today. After the long story was finished, Ash sent Croconaw to Professor Oak's lab and returned Dratini to her Poké Ball.

"We should be getting along now. How long do you think it will take to do everything you want to do in Johto?"

"I only plan on spending about two months here. I want to be back in Kanto for someone's birthday." Ash smiled at Misty.

"You don't have to do anything special for me, Ash."

"I want to. After what you did for me on mine, the least I can do is plan something special."

"Fine, nothing too extravagant though. You need to focus on your training."

"Whatever you say, Mist."

Together, they made their way back through the mountains. Next stop, Violet City.

* * *

><p>So, Lance didn't tell Ash the full context of his surprise. He wasn't totally wrong though in saying it was from Clair. It could be her Dragonair's child, then again it could not. The reasoning behind it joining Ash will be shown at some later time.<p>

I kinda just realized that Ash didn't really catch any Pokémon while he was in Johto in the next chapter. It might take me a little while to add any that I am thinking about adding. I would also be curious as to what you guys would want to see him catch. My requirements are simple: they have to be native to Johto, can't be Larvitar/Pupitar/Tyranitar (I have a plan for that later on), no Legendries, and a short reason as to why your choice would make a good addition to his team. Of course, you could also say that his team is fine the way it is at the present time and suggest not adding any more. At some point, each member of his team will play a pivotal role in this story, whether it's a League Battle or reasons to be explained at a later date. Leave it in a review with whatever else you might want to say about the story.


	22. Prep Work

Sorry it took a little longer than usual for the update, but this delay should feel like nothing compared to the nearly two month one I took. The only explanation I have will be elaborated at the end notes.

Thank you to all who made suggestions for the additions of his team. Majority seemed to think he needed a Dark Type. There was also a mention of Eevee related members, but more on that later as in not this chapter. There were two suggestions that might be added at a later date (I need to figure out how they would work). Looking over the list I have, I have come to realize (also impart to reviewer Jane Hawthorn) he is short on Psychic Types. None will be added this chapter but somewhere down the line.

Not all will be used, and a few you guys picked were already on the list of "to be added." I don't want to give too much away so just wait and see. I was thinking about splitting this into two chapters, but the plan in my head kinda fell through.

The more important things will be at the end of this chapter. Yes, catching new Pokémon is important, but so is what the end of this one has to tell. Also, the mystery guy is back. He will be showing up quite a bit in the chapters after the Pokémon League.

* * *

><p>Ch22 prep work<p>

"Wow. Look what you did to this place."

Misty stood in awe as Ash picked up the two Poké Balls that held his new companions. The mountain pass they were traveling through to get to Violet City was a wreck. The walls of the pass looked so unstable that they looked like they would give out at any moment. The battle Ash had with the wild Pokémon was quite the spectacle. The Steelix came out of nowhere and blocked their path. They tried to turn back but were cut off by a Skarmory that would attack if they got to close. Ash maintained his cool however and called out Combusken and Gabite. The four Pokémon went blow for blow with each other, occasionally smashing their foe into the sides of the pass. Eventually, Combusken was able to subdue Skarmory and allowed Ash to catch it. Steelix, however, proved to be quite the challenge for Gabite. It took him to evolve to finally be able to bring him down.

Ash smirked and said, "We did way more damage when we got into fights. This looks like what would happen on a good day between us way back when."

Misty thought for a moment and then giggled a little as if to say he was right. When they reached the next town, they were immediately asked questions about how they managed to escape the Steely Dou, as the locals called them. Ash then showed them the two locked Poké Balls and explained what had happened. Many were surprised to hear that. They thought that they would have to wait for the Region's best Pokémon Catcher, who was currently in another far off region trying, to arrive and calm the two down. They then explained that there was a woman people could call if any wild Pokémon were terrorizing their homes. Her techniques were odd, and no one would go into describing it. They said Ash and Misty would have to see it for themselves in order to believe it.

That was the closest thing to facing death they had on this trip. Otherwise, the trip through Johto was rather uneventful compared with what had taken place when they visited Anabel. The two months were spent training and catching Pokémon. Misty found a large colony of Wooper and convinced quite a few to join her. She sent most to her sisters. She felt bad leaving them with Pokémon mostly used to performing in the water shows, so she thought a nice present would cheer them up. She kept two of them with her, one was the leader of the colony and the other had long line of hearts down its stomach instead of the usual stripes.

She spent most of her time fishing while Ash and his Pokémon trained. Ash was determined to get stronger so that his Dratini would be battle ready by the time the Indigo League Tournament came around. He also wanted to try and tame the two new additions. This was a difficult task considering they were so used to working on their own. Periodically, Lucario would tell Ash that they needed to work on his aura skills as well. Ash agreed that it was something he would have to do considering Team Rocket was after him. When he was not working with Lucario or his other Pokémon, Ash would go to a lake that he did not tell Misty about and fish. He was looking for a certain Pokémon to give Misty for her birthday, and both Lucario and Pikachu told him that they were in this particular lake. He did find what he was looking for after a few days of searching and told Professor Oak his plans for Misty's special day.

"I'm sure she'll love it, Ash. Just let me know when you want me to transfer it to you. I should have it ready for you in a few days with all of your specifications."

"Thanks Professor. I won't need it until we get back to Kanto, so if you could hold on to it until then it would be great."

"I will. Good luck with the rest of your trip through Johto, I will see you soon."

Ash knew Misty would be fishing most of the time they were there or searching the marshes nearby so telling Professor Oak about all of this was perfectly safe.

When they were together, they could not be separated. Of course this irked Lucario a little bit because it meant less time training Ash's aura. He did not mind these feelings of attachment when he was a Riolu. Back then, he shared his aura with Ash's and felt whatever he felt. These interactions with Misty seemed to make him feel even more a part of the group, even if he already was a key member. Now that his aura was purely his own but still very in tuned with Ash's, he lost that and wanted to spend more time with Ash to be sure he truly was a part of the team.

Of course there were times when luck threw in a teaching moment. They had set up camp for the night, and it was Ash's turn to make dinner for everyone. As always, he was checking the surrounding auras for any humans that were not supposed to be there. There was always the one G-Man that had been tailing them since they returned from Kanto and the people who lived in the surrounding areas. Most of the time, he would only search for human auras and let the Pokémon alone. This was one of those nights.

He had gotten up to grab a few ingredients for the stew he was making. It was something that he learned to make from Brock and knew Misty would like it because it did not have any carrots or peppers in it. When he returned to the fire he was cooking over, he noticed that the pot was gone. Misty and the others were out gathering more firewood and water so they were out of the question. He then decided that the quickest way to figure out where it went was to use his aura. He closed his eyes, and the entire forest was laid out in front of him in different shades of blue.

He found the culprit behind a nearby bush licking the contents clean. When he crept up behind it to see what it was, he saw the sickliest looking Houndour he had ever seen. Her ribs where visible and the two white ridges on her back were nearly wrapped all the way around her stomach.

He felt sorry for her and quietly made his way back to his bag to pick up something for her to eat. He found Combusken's batch of Pokémon food and figured it would have to do. Because Combusken is a dual Fire and Fighting Type, it has nutrients that are meant to be helpful to both attributes. Ash knew that the Houndour needed food and rebuilding her strength would be needed.

He moved back over to the spot where she was hiding and began to make a trail with the Pokémon food. He sat down next to the fire and waited. Soon, the Houndour began to follow the trail, found her way to Ash, and began devouring the can of food. She did not notice him until Ash began stroking her head.

She jumped at his touch and started to back away only to trip over her hind legs and land in a clump. Ash slowly got up and poured some food in his hand. He slowly made his way over and knelt beside her. Being too tired and weak to do much, she stayed put but looked scared out of her wits.

Ash whispered things like, "It's okay," "You can trust me," "I'm not going to hurt you." He slowly lowered his hand to Houndour's mouth and offered the food. After taking a minute to think it over, she graciously ate everything in his hand. It was at this time Misty and the others had returned.

Misty was a bit surprised to see a Houndour at camp but quickly changed to worry when she saw the condition she was in. Combusken looked a little mad that she was eating his food but quickly forgave Ash when he got his own can of food. Ash then asked Lucario to try and find out her story. After a long conversation, they learned that it was not unlike that of a few other Fire Types that Ash knew. She was abandoned by her trainer a few weeks earlier because she was not performing as the trainer thought she should. Because she had spent so much time with the trainer, she had forgotten how to fend for herself and began to steal scraps from travelers that managed to pass by.

Of course, Ash believed every word and offered her a place on his team. This did not sit well with Lucario. Of course as the days passed, it was deemed that Houndour was indeed telling the truth, but Lucario did not like the fact that it was so easy for her to sneak into camp and steal their food. He waited to voice his concerns until after Houndour was in its Poké Ball.

_What if that happened to be a Rocket spy or a Pokémon of theirs? Don't you think you should pay more attention to your surroundings?_

Ash tried his best to defend himself, but it proved to be futile. Misty joined Lucario's side mostly because she did not like the possibility that Team Rocket could swoop in unnoticed. From then on, Ash began focusing more on his aura training, giving Lucario a reason to be happy.

Of course that meant he would spend less time alone and more time working with Misty training each other's Pokémon, but Lucario could live with that. He had Combusken to spar with when he got bored. On one particular day of fishing, Ash finally told Misty about that night at Lavender Tower.

"You thought you were so funny back then, didn't you? I'll have you know that I was worried sick about you."

"I know, Mist. I told the three of them that we needed to go back so that I could continue my journey. We watched you for a little while before returning to our bodies. I could tell you were upset and only made me want to return sooner." As he was speaking, he was not paying too much attention as to how he was casting off and caught on something behind them. He turned around and saw what he had mistakenly hooked. An angry looking Beedrill was hooked by the wing to his fishing pole. In a moment of not thinking but going with instinct, Ash ordered a Thunderbolt. Soon a swarm of Beedrill gathered around them waiting for them to make a move.

"Nice going, Ash. Now what are we going to do?" Before Ash could respond, Psyduck came out of his Poké Ball. "What are you doing Psyduck?"

The Pokémon just stared blankly ahead of him. Realizing that Psyduck was going to be the first target, Misty attempted to call him back to his Poké Ball but stopped when the Beedrill became surrounded by a blue light. He then threw the entire swarm over the trees and out of sight.

"Looks like Psyduck just wanted to protect you Mist," Ash said with a smile on his face. He was sure Psyduck always meant well but always chose to come out at the most inopportune times.

"Is that true, Psyduck?" Misty asked with tears of joy welling up him her eyes.

"Duck?" Psyduck replied and started to glow. A Golduck now stood where the little yellow duck once did and gave her a wink and thumbs up.

"I always knew you could do it." Misty ran up to give Golduck a hug. She was so happy she could hardly control herself.

"Hey, Mist, I think he needs to breathe."

"What? Oh, sorry about that Golduck." Golduck just coughed and gave her a goofy smile.

Next to Gyarados and Staryu, Golduck became one of her strongest Pokémon after that day. More of her Pokémon evolved after that, but none could compare with that. Maybe Azurill's evolution to Marill, but that was a close second. It wasn't how she evolved that made her happy, but that it happened.

They were on their way back to Kanto when they ran into a Totodile. Azurill wanted to help Misty catch it and quickly jumped out of her arms to do so. After Misty succeeded in catching it, she congratulated Azurill for her hard work. Azurill smiled and bounced happily when it started to happen.

Misty picked up the newly evolved Marill and gave her a hug. They kept traveling until it started getting dark out and set up camp. After they had finished dinner, Marill began digging through Misty's bag, found her Poké Ball, and went inside. Ash couldn't help but see the sad look that had taken over Misty's face when she saw this. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Mist?"

"I knew she would evolve eventually. I just thought she would want to stay out with us still."

"You know as well as I do that Pokémon change when they evolve. She's not a baby anymore, Misty. Remember when Togetic left after he evolved, you were heartbroken but allowed him to stay to protect the Togepi. Marill may want some time to think before deciding what she wants."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course I do. You've been a great mother to her. Based on how she jumped out of your arms to battle your Totodile, I think she just wants more responsibility and wants to be treated like a grown up Pokémon."

"Thanks, Ash. I needed to hear that." She rested her head on his shoulder. She took a moment to think before she began speaking again. "You really think I am a great mother?"

Ash was a little surprised to hear her ask this but smiled. "I can tell by how much Azurill and Togepi enjoyed being with you. I am sure you will be a great mother to our kids someday."

It was Misty's turn to be a little shocked. She never heard him talk about the idea of children before. "What makes you think I would want to have your children, Ash?"

"I know you too well, Mist. I figured if you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, you wouldn't mind raising a family together. Not to mention, whenever we pass a couple with a baby, you can't help but comment on them and get as you do when you find a Water Pokémon." Misty blushed a little. Ash always seemed to know exactly what was going on in her head. He was not at a level where he could fully read a human's aura and promised that he never would dig into hers, but he really did not need to use it with her. They knew each other too well.

She began to fall asleep in his arms. Lucario took this as an opportunity to see what his friend was up to.

_You're planning something. I want to know._

Ash gave him a smile. _You have been probing my mind again, Lucario. How many times have I told you not to? You are correct, though. I am planning something. You already know quite a bit about it. It has something to do with the conversation I had with Professor Oak about Misty's birthday._

_I understand. It is not my fault for being able to probe your mind, though. You still haven't learned how to block those who want to get in. _Lucario gave Ash a stern look. Ash was trying his best, he could tell. Lucario just hoped that someone would come and fill in the gaps of his teachings and help him achieve the status of Aura Guardian. Little did either of them know that someone was watching them and listening to the conversation without their detection.

_Give me time. I will get it down soon. You should get some rest. You are going to take the day off tomorrow to rest your shoulder. No complaining. I need you at full strength to battle in the Tournament. I know your shoulder is still bothering you, and you tell me to close my mind to unwanted guests._

_I guess we still have a long ways to go before we reach that day._ They both laughed while still making sure Misty would not be disturbed. Ash then elaborated on his plan to Lucario, explaining that there is one more Pokémon and a couple items he had to find before Misty's birthday.

_She will love it. I don't doubt that._

_I know. I will see how she reacts to her surprises before I decide to do one more thing. I know we have only been dating for seven months, but I have known her since we were ten. I just can't imagine what my life would be like without her._

_I think I know what you are thinking of doing, and I am going to suggest waiting a little longer. I will not tell you what to do. I can only give you my advice, and seeing as the only experience I have in this area was my connection to you as a Riolu, you can take it as you wish. The best time may not be at her birthday but at some other time. Maybe once you defeat Lance would be better._

_I don't know. I did promise to wait until we were sure about where our lives would take us._

_This is another reason to wait. I'm sure neither of you know any of that yet. If you would hand me my pillow, I am going to sleep now._

_Night, Lucario._ Ash handed over his pillow that Nurse Joy recommended he use when camping and watched as he fell asleep.

He started to feel drowsy when something kind of hard landed on his head. He reached up with his free hand to grab it. It was a note but was stuffed inside a ring. He pulled out the note and inspected the ring. It had a fairly large diamond attached to it that shown in the moonlight. The gold band was spotless as if it had never been worn. After inspecting it, he looked back at the note and began to read.

_Ash_

_First, I want to say congratulations and I am sorry. Congratulations on understanding my previous note and finding your Lucario, and sorrow for what happened to his face and shoulder. I know all about the damage Team Rocket can cause._

_Second, the enclosed ring is a gift to you. I overheard your conversation just now and think you might be in need of one in the near future. I am sure you could have found the perfect ring eventually, but your mother would probably insist you use this one._

_Again, do not ask how you got this note or why your mother would prefer you using this one. My next letter will explain everything you will need to know about our future meeting._

_DL AG_

Ash reread it over and over until the words sank in. He could not understand how this person knew who he is. He has met a lot of people in his travels, but none of them had any initials like the ones he saw on the notes. Before Misty's birthday surprise, he was planning on visiting his mom for a few days. He never remembered seeing his mother wearing an engagement ring before so he had no idea why this one would be special.

He was still not sure whether to trust this person or not. He had aided in finding Lucario and did not kidnap him while at Dawn's house, but he did not know why this person insisted on staying away from him. He was too tired to think of all possible implications of the note and decided to wait until he was home before he thought any more about it. He put the note and the ring in his inside jacket pocket and fell asleep leaning against his love.

* * *

><p>For some reason, as I was adding things and making edits, this chapter did not really turn out as I expected it to. I know I've said it before on other chapters, but I really didn't like this one too much. I liked how it flowed originally, but the lack of Pokémon catching in this one kinda made me crazy.<p>

Not a lot of dialogue throughout the chapter, but it was in places where it was needed most, like the conversations at the end. Speaking of which, I had trouble figuring out how to word this note. It has been a while since we last saw the mystery man, and I needed Ash to remember that he is still out there. I didn't want to reveal too much, but seeing as how we are getting closer to finding out who he is, I figured that it was about time to get the wheels turning a little more on that aspect of the story.

That being said, do you guys have an idea of who the mystery man is now? His name will not be revealed for a little while longer, though. I will say that we are getting close.

The Steelix was from AllanPrice. The Skarmory was my idea. I was thinking about what he had in terms of Types and felt that Steel was a little light. Plus, one more Flying Type couldn't hurt.

Houndour was from Jane Hawthorn and donovan123456789. I know the Houndour story is not all that original. I was thinking about doing something completely different but just couldn't put the pieces together to make it work or make any sense.

Keep reviewing. It helps me greatly when trying to figure out what to do in the edits.


	23. Happy Birthday

Once again, I am not thrilled with how this one turned out, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. I've been stuck on trying to figure out what I could do to try and fix it but came up with nothing. I don't want to rewrite it because I have two chapters that I have to do that to and those are coming up soon. I am also having trouble on the current chapter I'm writing. Until I get that figured out, I really can't do much more writing past it because it deals with the whole Chosen One thing that I worked out. So, if you don't see this one updated for a while, that's what I'm working on.

In the meantime, look out for a new story from me soon. It's a one shot that takes place after Chapter 1 and is my way to jumpstart my brain. You don't have to read it in order to understand what will happen latter on (then again it might. I'm not totally sure yet). It just details what Ash did after his conversation with Brock. I bring back a movie character to try and help Ash with his Misty dilemma (you know, trying to tell her he's going to traveling without her again). Of course, you all know what he did about it. You just don't know how he came up with the idea.

Back to the story. Birthday time again (again not mine, but it was recently). The beginning deals with the previous note Ash got. While I did not flat out say who this person is, it should have given you a decent idea of who he is. He will remain nameless for a few more chapters.

* * *

><p>Ch23 happy birthday<p>

They finally made it home. Spending the night in a comfortable bed was a dream come true for the two travelers. Not that the beds at the Pokémon Centers were not. The fact that they were in a familiar bed was soothing. Of course, Delia fussed over them right as they walked through the door. She was terribly worried for each of them after Professor Oak told her about the attack. When they talked on the phone while Ash was in Johto, he told her that he did not want to talk about what happened until they got home. After seeing the scars that covered Lucario's face, she nearly fainted thinking what if it was Ash in that position. She eventually calmed down once he told her they were going to spend the next few days at home. Most of the Kanto trip involved seeing Brock and Misty's birthday.

While Misty was taking a walk one afternoon, Ash thought it would be a good opportunity to ask his mom about the ring. For obvious reasons, he did not show Misty the note he got. He could tell she thought something was up because he would notice her looking over at him while they walked feeling his jacket pocket to make sure the ring was still there. Thankfully, she did not question him. That afternoon, Delia was in the garden working with Mr. Mime.

"Hey, mom, can I ask you something?"

"You can always ask me anything, dear. What do you want to know?"

Ash thought for a moment. Sure he had planned it out before, but now that he was actually going through with it, he froze. Pikachu was down by his feet and started to nudge him. Lucario was taking a nap inside. Ash kind of wished he was with him encouraging him with Pikachu. He then pulled out the note and ring and gave it to his mother. "Is this yours?"

Delia looked at him confusedly, stood up from her spot on the ground, and took both objects. The note hid the ring because Ash wrapped the note around it. Once she unfolded the small piece of paper, her eyes widened. She hadn't seen the ring in eighteen years, and it looked just as magnificent as it did when his father proposed. She then began to read the letter. She knew who it was from and could tell Ash didn't. She did not know how to respond. She did not want to lie to Ash, but she also knew that the words that were written were true. In time, Ash would know everything.

"It was mine. I think that you should honor the writer's wishes, though, and not worry about how it came into your possession. I know who wrote this, and you can trust him."

"I don't know if I can. He seems to know too much about me, and the fact that he heard my conversation with Lucario that night makes me wonder if he can read my mind."

"He's just trying to help you. I'm sure he did to try and understand how you are thinking. From what I read, it may have been for the best that he was able to. I think you have been thinking a lot about your future with Misty. I know you care about her, and I wouldn't be upset with you if you did ask to marry her." Ash's eyes grew wide. She was practically telling him to propose to her when she got home. "Just promise me something; you will wait a few years after you propose before you actually get married."

"I still don't know when I would do it. Lucario keeps telling me to wait until after the League Tournament, and I was thinking about doing it when I take Misty out for her birthday. He keeps reminding me that we still do not know what we are going to do with our lives. I kinda wish someone would make up our minds for us and point us in the direction we are supposed to go."

"I don't think you want that. If you truly love Misty, you would make it work no matter what your life throws at you."

She went back to her gardening to let Ash think it over. He played through every possible scenario he could imagine himself in and realized that the highs wouldn't be as high and the lows wouldn't be as low as long as Misty was there to share it with him to celebrate the good and help survive the bad. "I know what I'm going to do." He gave his mom a smile.

"What is that?"

"I won't tell you until the real moment arrives, but I will need that ring." He extended his hand to retrieve the note from his mother.

Delia smiled and gently placed the note and ring in his hand. "Take good care of her, Ash."

"I will, mom, don't worry." Ash ran back inside with Pikachu right on his heels. He had so much to plan. He was definitely not going to do it on Misty's birthday next week, but it could not hurt to start planning.

xxx

Misty went straight to the ocean for her walk. She did her best thinking when she was near a body of water. She walked down to the water's edge and let the waves brush against her legs. She called out Marill and Togetic. Both of them knew Ash the best and were the only ones she would talk to about him.

"Ash has this big surprise for me on my birthday. What do you to think it could be?" Misty asked as she sat down in the sand.

They both shook their heads but gave her smile meaning that it would be a nice surprise.

"I know he wouldn't do anything I would hate. It just seemed like he was hiding something when we were walking to his house from Johto."

The two Pokémon began to whisper amongst themselves. Once their conversation was done, Marill began to draw in the sand. Misty was curious and watched Marill draw. She began by making a large circle and then finished by drawing a diamond.

"That can't be it. I love him, but I don't think we are there yet. At least, I don't think I'm ready for that. You guys got me all confused now," she said as she buried her face in her hands.

The two Pokémon ran to Misty to give her a hug, seeing how confused she was. Misty looked at the two of them and smiled.

"Thanks you two." They sat on the beach for another hour or two. Misty kept thinking about what the two were implying with the ring in the sand. She thought about all the things she would be giving up if she did marry Ash. After some thought, the only major thing out of her life would be the Gym. She didn't mind that. With Ash, she could attain her dream of becoming a Water Pokémon Master and have someone important to share it with. Even if she wasn't able to attain her dream, she knew Ash would be right by her side making sure she was happy. That was all that mattered. _So what if he doesn't propose right away. We both agreed to wait until we are sure we are ready. I don't want to get my hopes up and have them dashed when it doesn't happen when I expect it._

Eventually, it was time to return to the house for dinner. She stood up began to walk back into town with Togetic flying close to her head and Marill skipping beside her.

xxx

They left the next morning for Fuchsia City to meet with Brock. He was rather glad to see them after what had taken place only a few months earlier. He was continually being informed by Lucy what was going on at the Plateau. While they were given pretty much unlimited freedom at the Plateau, they were unable to leave because of the barriers that Mewtwo had in place, and they all soon found that there was not much to do at the Plateau when tournaments were not going on. It saddened both of them that they could not be together at the present time.

"She did say the next time we see each other will be special. I think you know what that means," Brock said in his freakishly high pitched voice.

"Brock, for the last time, we don't want to know what goes on in that head of yours. All I can say is don't do anything that may make you hate yourself the next day," Misty said as she hit Brock with her mallet.

They spent the next few days catching up and talking about the tournament that was less than two months away. Before they left, Brock gave Misty her birthday gift, a Water Stone.

"Nurse Joy was given this by a trainer who wasn't sure if what she wanted to evolve her Eevee into. She had a Water Stone and was contemplating using it when it evolved into an Espeon. Anyway, Nurse Joy gave it to me when I told her about you."

"Thanks Brock, but the only Pokémon I have that could use it is my Staryu. I really don't want to evolve it."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Just keep it safe until you do need it. You two better get going if you want to make it to the next town for your birthday. I will see all of you at the Plateau in a few months."

"Bye Brock and thanks for the gift," Misty called back.

The closest town was a good four hour walk away, and it was almost night time when they said goodbye to Brock. Ash called out Aerodactyl to fly them there. This time Aerodactyl let them climb onto his back without any resistance. They spent the night at the Pokémon Center.

The next morning, Ash changed his mind on what Pokémon he was going to give Misty for her birthday after seeing what Brock had given her. Professor Oak had made some calls and made it possible for Ash to obtain quite a few Eevee, one for each evolution including one to stay an Eevee and one for Misty. He thought it would be a good challenge and would round out his team nicely. They arrived at the Lab while Ash and Misty were with Brock. He was going to wait for his own Water Stones to arrive but decided now was the better time. The Pokémon he caught for her in Johto would be saved for another day. He let Professor Oak know about his decision before Misty woke up so he could make the proper adjustments. He also talked with Lucario the day before about staying with Professor Oak for the day. Lucario agreed mostly because he did not think Ash would want to do much training on Misty's birthday. Plus, Ash promised that they would spend a whole day sometime in the future together working on his aura.

Once Misty's Eevee arrived, Ash went back to their room to see if she was awake. He was about to open the door when it slammed into his face and caused him to fall to the floor.

"Sorry Ash, I didn't think you would be up this early," she said extending a hand to help him up.

"Don't worry about it. It's your birthday so you can do just about whatever you want. Just remember to dress up tonight for dinner."

"Okay, but where are we going for dinner?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise. You can have the rest of the day to yourself. Just call me if you want me to be with you, but I really have to get some things ready for tonight."

"Did you forget to do all of that until today like you normally do?" Misty couldn't help herself. Ash said she could do whatever she wanted and teasing Ash was definitely a priority.

"Nothing like that, I just need some time to make the finishing touches. Go have fun. I should be done by lunch if you want to meet then."

"Alright, see you soon." She gave him a kiss before heading out to explore the town.

After a few hours browsing a few shops and finding a dress for dinner, she went back to the Pokémon Center to meet up with Ash for lunch. They spent the next few hours afterwards walking through town so that she could show him all the neat little shops she went into. Ash told Misty dinner was to be at five-thirty and walked back to their room to get ready. Ash waited in the waiting area for Misty. He wore a black suit coat and pants with a red button down shirt with a blue and red striped tie.

He was staring at the clock when he heard Misty walk into the waiting room. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her dress was a pale blue with hints of green. It was fairly long, ending near the middle of her beautifully defined calves and draped over her body beautifully. It was simple, but that did not matter too much to Ash. She looked gorgeous no matter what she wore.

"How do I look?" She gave a little twirl to give Ash the full view of the dress. He couldn't say anything. In his mind, saying anything would be an insult to her beauty. She was beyond beautiful.

He could only utter one syllable, "Wow!" Misty laughed at his lack of words and brought him back to reality. "So where are you taking me for dinner?"

Ash shook himself before speaking. "I want it to be a surprise. We have to travel a little ways before we eat, but don't worry. We won't be walking much."

"Then how are we getting to where ever it is we are going?"

"You'll see," Ash said taking her hand and leading her out the door. They walked to the river that ran just outside of town and found Pikachu and Lapras waiting for them. He helped her climb on to Lapras and set off down the river. The sun was still in the sky but was nearing its final descent. After traveling downstream, they reached the entrance to the ocean and waiting for them on the beach was a table set for two and Brock. Ash had convinced him to come and make a romantic dinner for the two of them.

As they ate Brock's lovely meal, they talked about their future. They both agreed that it was still too early to think about getting married, but they both knew that it was in their future. Life was just too hectic at the moment to add one more thing to worry about. As the sun began to set, Brock brought out Misty's birthday cake. It was a chocolate cake decorated with all sorts of Water Pokémon. Once they had eaten enough of the cake, they sat together to watch the sun set. Just before it was fully set, Ash decided it was time to give her his present.

"Happy birthday, Mist." He handed her the Poké Ball. She threw it and out came the Eevee he asked Professor Oak for. Her fur was grey instead of the usual brown and white, and Ash explained that she would understand why he chose this one after she evolved it. Misty took another look at the Eevee and saw something around her neck. It was a necklace with a gold chain and a sapphire in the shape of the Cascade Badge. The Eevee leapt into her lap and started to curl up into a ball. Before she could, Ash took the necklace off and put it on Misty.

"I feel kinda bad. I didn't do anything near as incredible as this on your birthday," she said sadly.

Ash then whispered into her ear with his arm around her shoulder, "You didn't have to. What you did was perfect just the way it was. You're real gift to me was given well before that."

"And what was that?"

"You said, 'I love you.'" The two kissed passionately as the sun had finally disappeared into the night. Watching the two of them made Brock think of Lucy and how much he missed her.

They watched the night sky for a few hours until they decided to go back to the Pokémon Center. They thanked Brock for the lovely dinner and rode Lapras back into town with Eevee asleep on Misty's lap.

"So, will there be any more surprises when we get back to the room?"

"Not tonight. I don't think your Eevee would like to evolve while she's asleep, so that will have to wait until morning," Ash said as they neared the town.

Once back at the Pokémon Center, Ash called Professor Oak to switch Lapras for Lucario. Misty went straight to her room to get ready for bed. When Lucario came out of his Poké Ball, he gave Ash a scary looking grin, scary in the fact that scars on his face made it so.

_How did it go?_

_I'm sure you already know. I can feel your presence in my head._

_Sorry, but curiosity tends to get the best of me._

_Nothing wrong with that. _The two of them then made their way back to the room with Ash filling Lucario in on the night's events. Ash knocked to make sure Misty was decent before entering. She was sitting on the bed with Eevee snoozing in her lap. She had changed into her sweats and had yet to take the necklace off.

"She looks so peaceful. I don't want to disturb her so I can go to sleep."

_Don't worry about that. Professor Oak told me that your Eevee was one of the heaviest sleepers he has ever known. Speaking of him, he told me to tell you, Ash, that your stones are in and are waiting for you when you return to the lab._

"Great. I know we haven't traveled much in Kanto, but I kinda want to get my line ups ready for the Tournament. I need to see all of my Pokémon in order to do that. Before we go back though, we need to fly to Sinnoh for a day or two."

"Why? I thought you got everything you wanted to get done in Sinnoh completed before we left."

"That was before I had Professor Oak do me a favor. You will see what I need to do when we get there."

"I thought you said no more surprises."

"I said no more tonight. Also, this is for my training not yours."

"But why are we only going to be there a few days? I don't think you will have enough time to…"

"Don't worry, Misty. We will only spend a few hours in each spot at most. What I need to do won't take too terribly long, trust me."

"Alright, whatever you say, Ash." She stretched and set Eevee at the foot of the bed. Ash then went into the bathroom to change for the night. Misty was half asleep when he came back into the room. He climbed into bed next to her. Once she felt his body next to hers, she turned to face him and whispered, "Thank you for everything."

"I would do anything for you, Mist. I want you to be happy." He smiled and let her head rest on his chest.

* * *

><p>I don't think my description of the dress was all that great (hey, I'm a guy. So what would you expect?) My sisters don't wear dresses all that often, and I don't always like the ones they choose to wear when they do (I'm overprotective like that).<p>

Anyway, as I said in the story, the Eevee will be a way to balance out his team seeing as there are seven evolutions. It wasn't until recently that I learned how limited an un-evolved Eevee is in terms of what it is capable of learning move wise. Next chapter will detail exactly what I will do with the un-evolved one as well as the rest of them and the new additions from last chapter.

Keep the reviews coming and keep the people of Aurora, Colorado and anyone connected to the tragedy in your thoughts and prayers. Am I a little late for this? A little, but I don't think timing really matters in this instance. This one will probably hang over everyone for a long time.


	24. The Final Stretch

So, I saw the new Batman movie on Saturday, and it was awesome. My ass hurt because it was a ridiculously long movie and the seats weren't the most comfortable in the world, but I survived.

I thought that it would be a good idea to have Ash go back to Sinnoh once he got his Eevee. I realize that it is slightly out of character of Ash to want to evolve his Pokémon without their consent, but, as you will learn later in this chapter, the personalities of each individual Eevee kind of made up their minds for them.

Another rather short one, but I did not want to go into too much detail about his training schedule. The trip to Sinnoh provides a little AAML, and the tournament begins.

* * *

><p>Ch24 the final stretch<p>

The next morning, Ash and Misty started to prepare for their flight to Sinnoh. Misty decided that it was time to see what Ash meant the night before and used Brock's Water Stone to evolve Eevee. Once the process was complete, instead of the normal blue color she expected her Vaporeon was a pinkish-purple color.

"You know that I'm not a big fan of pink."

"I know, but when Professor Oak told me about her, I immediately thought that she would be perfect for you. He said that aside from the physical appearance, she was a little different from the rest of them. She can be a little hot headed and stubborn, but also is one of the most caring Pokémon he's ever seen. Also, her coloring is unique. It separates her from the rest of her family. So, in a way, she's you in Pokémon form."

Yet again, his logic baffled her, but she was touched that he thought of her as a Vaporeon. She thanked him again for everything he's done for her and began to learn more about her special new friend before they took off for Sinnoh.

After the three hour flight to Sinnoh that landed in Canalave City, they took the ferry up to Chocovine Town and proceeded to make their way north to the Ice Rock. Once there, Ash called out the Eevee that Professor Oak suggested, and immediately he was drawn to it. The moment he made contact with it, he evolved into Glaceon.

"That was easy; I thought that there would be more to it than that."

The same thing happened when they went to the Eterna Forest to evolve his second Eevee. Because he didn't expect everything to happen as quickly as he did and their plane tickets home were not good until the following afternoon, they went to the beach to relax and do some snorkeling. They found a small reef not far from the beach they had stopped at and watched all of the Fish Pokémon explore the coral. After a while, a school of Luvdisc started to surround them. Misty started to get excited. She knew the legends about what happens when Luvdisc appear and hopped that they were true.

Two of them, a male and female, broke from the group and began to interact with Ash and Misty. The two Luvdisc followed them where ever they went in the reef and came up to the surface with them when it was time to leave. Ash and Misty eventually convinced them to join them on their journey. Misty felt a little happier about their future now that she had seen the Luvdisc and had one that was for her and only her. Caserin was great and all, but he was for water shows and was left with her sisters when she asked for everyone.

When they finally left for home, they dreamt about marriage and a family while up in the air with the two heart shaped fish nearby.

xxx

The next few weeks were spent trying to organize his team and what Eevee should evolve into what or stay an Eevee. Professor Oak explained that the person that he obtained the Eevee from had noticed that each one had traits that their evolutions would have. For example, one enjoyed playing in water, another was most active at night, and another preferred lying out in the sun. Professor Oak then ran a few tests and found that in each Eevee there were more segments in their DNA that would be more readily allow for a certain way of evolution. Based on what Professor Oak told him, Ash was able to determine how to evolve each one.

Each one proved to be excellent battlers. Each one would train with the other Pokémon of their type. They were more than willing to help the new additions and give them tips on how to make their moves more effective while adding their own flare to their moves. This was more difficult for Espeon seeing as he was the only Pokémon on the ranch that was a Psychic Type other than Starmie, and Misty did not focus too much on its Psychic attacks. Ash decided that he would do what he could until the Indigo League Tournament. He called Lance to see if he could talk with Anabel about training an Espeon. While she was not too much help over the phone, she agreed to help him when he arrived at the Plateau.

Eevee, however, was more playful and would rather nap with Snorlax than train. After talking with Lucario, he figured Eevee would be better as a guard Pokémon than a battler. This was because she was strong and would alert Ash or Misty about any wild Pokémon that decided to watch Ash train with the rest of the Pokémon.

Ash would oversee most of the training his Pokémon did, but with the extended amounts of time that they trained by themselves at Oak's Lab, he did not have to step in and give too many pieces of advice. The Pokémon were doing that for him. Whether it was learning a new move Professor Oak was teaching them in his spare time or fine tuning the ones they already knew, each Pokémon gave tips on how to go about doing it. Of course if extra help was needed, they would run and find Ash.

That's not saying that a few still needed some one-on-one time with Ash. Skarmory and Steelix were still getting used to working with other Pokémon besides themselves. They also had trouble adapting to the field change, seeing as they were used to battling in the mountains. Skarmory had the easiest adjustment, but Steelix seemed to have a hard time taking orders from anyone. On one of the first days of training, he went on a bit of a rampage and attacked just about anything in sight. Ash knew that he was a strong Pokémon based on the battle he had with him to catch him, but he had somehow managed to knockout the majority of his team. The only ones left standing were Pikachu, Charizard, Floatzel, Sceptile, Lucario, and twelve of his Tauros. It took all of them with a little help from Misty's Pokémon to finally bring him down. Once inside his Poké Ball, Ash called up Brock to see if he had any tips on how to calm Steelix down. The tips worked, and Ash was finally able to control Steelix after about two weeks.

A few of his team evolved while he was in Johto, and the rest, save for Dratini and Houndour, evolved while they were training. Ash was not too discouraged by Dratini not evolving because she had grown quite strong in the past months that they were together, making him think that it was an offspring of either Lance' Dragonite or Clair's Dragonair. He knew that she would evolve when she was ready and could only assume that she was getting close.

Houndour, on the other hand, was almost at full strength thanks to the time she spent at Oak's Lab. Ash talked with her while they watched Emboar and Infernape sparing with each other. He expressed his concern that she would not be able to battle for him in this tournament because of how weak she still was. She looked like she was going to burst into tears when he said this, so he quickly said that she would be able to next time. He just wanted to make sure she was one hundred percent healthy before putting her in a battle. Hearing the concern he had for her, she leapt up and pinned him to the ground so that she could lick his face.

Part of Ash's training with Lucario was to try and communicate with his Pokémon telepathically. Ash was hoping this would give the element of surprise and throw off his opponent. With about two weeks remaining before the tournament, he was able to communicate with almost all of his Pokémon that way. Through all of this, Lucario began to grow up. He began to realize, with the help of Blastoise, that he was just as important as the others on the team and Misty. He no longer had to find ways to get some one-on-one time with Ash because he would always try his best to make it happen.

The night before Ash was to leave for the Tournament, Professor Oak informed him that the Tournament was set up just like it was when Ash competed the first time. Ash could hardly sleep that night. His mind was on all the hard work he had put in the past year, and he knew it couldn't have been possible without Misty standing right by his side. It didn't take much, but Misty agreed to sit on the bench behind him during the battles just like the old days.

Ash chose Pikachu, Lucario, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, and Butterfree to join him on the journey to the Plateau. Ash and Misty waved goodbye to Professor Oak, Delia, and Tracey and set off on Charizard's back. They reached the Plateau within a few hours and registered with one of the League Officials. Ash watched all of the other trainers react to the appearance of Lucario. Many had no idea what he was, and their Pokédex would come up blank. Some wanted to take a closer look but turned away once they saw the scars on his face and shoulder. Some of the more seasoned and informed trainers knew about Lucario after watching many of the current Pokémon Master's battles but were also afraid to approach Ash and Lucario. Before the night came upon them, they went to their cabin where a surprise was waiting for them.

"Hey guys. How have you been?" Brock was standing in front of them as they entered the cabin. Lucy was sitting in a chair with a smile on her face.

"Hey Brock and Lucy, it's great to see you here. Are you guys going to stay with us?"

"Of course we are. May, Dawn, Max, and the rest of them will be staying close by, and the Frontier Brains are all staying at the League Headquarters. Greta and Noland have returned to watch the tournament, but who knows how long they will stay afterwards."

"At least they're here, though. This is probably the only place in the world that Team Rocket couldn't get into."

"True, as long as Mewtwo's defenses hold strong."

"I wouldn't be too worried about that, Brock. We know how strong it is, and I don't think it'd want to let in any member of Team Rocket."

The rest of the night was spent telling Lucy what had been going on since they left the Plateau. She was happy to hear Team Rocket didn't try anything since their attack on the Brains and was pleased to see the stricter security measures were working. Slowly, they started to drift off to sleep.

The next morning, they all woke up and went to eat. On their way, they ran into Ritchie.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to get here. It's great seeing you again."

"It sure is. What have you been up to since we saw each other in the Whirl Islands?"

"Oh, you know, traveling the world, catching Pokémon, beating Team Rocket. The usual."

"I don't think that's all you've been doing, Ash. I tend to run into Professor Oak quite a bit when he travels outside Pallet Town. He updates me on how you're doing in your training, which is more than what you do."

"Hey, I did tell you I was going to try the Indigo League again."

"Yeah, but that was the last time you said anything to me. Then again, I think Misty's been keeping you pretty busy outside of training," Ritchie said with a sly look.

"I guess Oak told you about us."

"Yep, and I must say it's about time."

"Why does everyone say that?"

Ritchie laughed at Ash's poor attempt at cluelessness and only just noticed the two new additions to the group. He first turned to Lucy and extended his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice you before. I'm Ritchie, a friend of these three."

"Lucy, Pike Queen of the Battle Frontier and Brock's girlfriend," she said as she took his hand.

"How did Brock manage to get a girlfriend? From what you've told me, it would take a miracle for that to happen."

"Hey, his 'charm' had to work at some point," Misty said with a laugh. Eventually, Ash, Ritchie, Pikachu, and Lucario joined her, leaving Brock and Lucy a blushing mess.

"Ash!"

They all stopped and turned to find the voice that called out for Ash. Standing a few yards away was Tyson.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd try my hand at the League Tournament here. I got beat pretty bad when I faced Sydney of the Elite Four, and I felt like I still had much to learn before I could try for the title of Champion of the Hoenn Region again."

After talking a little more and introducing Tyson to everyone else in the group, they all went to eat together. On the way, the conversation turned to Lucario.

"How did he get those scars, Ash? Did you find him like that?" Tyson asked.

"It happened a few months ago. We were trying to get a Frontier Brain here safely and were chased by some Rockets. He was carrying around a doll I made for him, and it got hit by a bullet. Those scars are from where the wood that splintered pierced his skin. He ended up evolving in order to save us, so I guess you could say some good came out of it," Ash said as he placed his hand on Lucario's good shoulder.

"Well at least that's all the damage that was done."

"Well, Lance forced the head of the Battle Frontier to shut it down and brought all the Frontier Brains here for their safety. A few were allowed to do some traveling, but they should be back for the tournament. I'm actually supposed to meet up with one to help he train my Espeon."

"Whoa, when did you get an Espeon?" Ritchie asked.

"It helps to have Professor Oak as a good friend. You should know that. I asked him if he could find some for me. He only agreed to it when I said he could use them for some of his research while they are in his care at the Lab. Once he was finished with them, he let me have them, and I evolved each one into the different evolutions. I even convinced Professor Oak to find one for Misty so she could finally get a Vaporeon."

"Well aren't you a thoughtful boyfriend."

"I try."

Once they found a place to eat, Tyson and Ritchie began talking about what they have been doing over the years. After the Hoenn League, Tyson went off to Johto and then followed up with a trip through Kanto. Ritchie jumped around a lot from region to region never really staying in one place for too long.

When everyone was finished, Ritchie and Tyson went their separate ways so that they could do some training before the Opening Ceremonies that were to take place later that afternoon. Ash thought it would be a good idea to do the same. By the time lunch rolled around, he felt pretty confident with this choice for his first round battle.

Not long after everyone had eaten, everyone started to show up. First to arrive was Professor Oak, Tracey, and Delia. Professor Oak brought all of Ash's Pokémon with him so that Ash could switch out his team whenever he needed to. Tracey offered to make sketches of his battles and showed him some of the ones he had made while Ash was training. Delia offered to make dinner for everyone once the Opening Ceremonies were over.

Next to arrive was May and Drew. When asked where Max was, they said he had left them to spend some time traveling with Angie and were not sure if he would make it to the tournament. This surprised no one. After they had left Sinnoh, they decided to take some time off and relax.

Dawn and Gary were the last to arrive. For some unexplained reason, they were seated next to each other on the plane from Sinnoh. Gary seemed to not like the arrangement because he complained about how she would ask him to recite a piece of poetry every half hour.

Once everyone had settled into their rooms, they all made their way to Indigo Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies. They met up with Ritchie and Tyson and were surprised to see Harrison there as well. Harrison wanted to try his hand at the Kanto Region before returning to Hoenn to compete in the tournament there.

After talking for a little while, it was time for the trainers to make their way to the locker rooms so that the ceremony could begin. The entire thing was just as Ash had remembered it, save for Team Rocket ruining it. Once the flame was lit, Charles Goodshow made his speech and announced the tournament to begin.

* * *

><p>It's hard to believe that this was originally 1300 words before the edits. I knew I wanted more in here, but it took me a while to figure out what should be added.<p>

The next two chapters will take a little while to post. I need to rewrite them, and it will take longer to finish after all the edits. While I am working on that, I have some little one-shots that I will be posting under _Victory Takes a Holiday_. These will take place during this story but don't have any real significance to the plot of this one. The first one is the one I talked about last chapter. The next few might focus around the new additions from the trip through Hoenn. I will try my best to keep them relatively in chronological order, but there are no guarantees on that. They will be posted as I come up with them.

Keep reviewing.


	25. Tournament Fun

Sorry it took so long, but like I said, I needed to completely rewrite this one and the next. I also kinda forgot about writing for about two months. Whoops. Anyway, life has finally settled down now that I am comfortable with my new major (Yay Physics!).

Originally, I had two of the battles fully written out. When editing them, I realized that was not a good idea. Then I decided to make this chapter all about stuff that happens in between the battles. That was a no go because that would mean the next chapter would have been a sort of highlight reel of sorts, and I did not want one full chapter just on that. Then I came up with this idea. In italics are the battles, or small clips of them, and the rest are the goings on outside of battling. Made things easier for me, and it fit my style of writing battles better. Next chapter will be much like this one.

Now, a refresher of what has happened: Ash's yearlong training trip has come to an end. He has caught many new Pokémon and got himself a girlfriend in Misty. Team Rocket is searching for Mewtwo and is working on other little projects that might help in Giovanni's quest to take over the world. He has received a few notes from a mystery man and a Lucario and has no idea who he is. When arriving at the Indigo Plateau, many old friends come to watch, and three are here to compete. Hopefully things will turnout better this time around.

* * *

><p>Ch25 tournament fun<p>

_Charizard flew behind the opposing Sandslash, catching it by surprise after an intense Flamethrower. He started to spin as he ascended, trying to make his opponent too dizzy to retaliate. Once he reached the optimum height, he began to circle the sky and prepare for the final drop. He, then, began his descent, quickly picking up speed as he went and pulling up right before reaching one of the rock mounds in order to release the dizzy Sandslash._

xxx

Ash walked away from the Rock Field quite happy with his battle. It reminded him of his first battle at the Plateau in that he only used one Pokémon, Charizard. He hoped that this time around would be different from the first. As he walked out of the stadium with Misty, Brock, Lucy, Lucario, and Pikachu and made their way to the Grass Field to watch Tyson's battle, he began to notice some different things that were not there the first time around. For starters, there were video boards positioned near the entrances to each field that displayed the results of the day's matches as well as live coverage of the battle taking place. As they continued walking, they saw more video boards that were showing highlights of the finished battles. There also seemed to be more vendors than last time.

"This place definitely doesn't look like it did the last time we were here," Ash said as he watched a clip of a battle between a Poliwirl and a Quagsire on the Water Field.

"Since the last time you competed here, yes. All this could have been here when we were here last. We were just too worried about Lucario to really pay attention."

"Plus if you stayed in Kanto for more than a week between journeys, you would have learned that this was done not long after we returned from Sinnoh," Brock said.

"Well that one's not entirely my fault. Professor Oak kinda gave us short notice about his trip to Unova, and he needed us to let him know if we were coming or not."

"Yes, but you still could've told him that you wanted to stay in Kanto for a little while before you set off on a new adventure. Plus, I would have liked to see you before you left. We could have been together much sooner."

"I don't think so, Misty. Knowing us, we probably would have kept denying it and stayed just friends. Besides, haven't we said that the past is the past? The only thing that matters is the now, right?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her.

"I hate it when you're right," she said with a frown.

"It has to happen every once in a while," he said with a laugh.

They continued talking and met up with the rest of the group to walk to the Grass Field. Once there, the video board showed that Tyson had just lost his second Pokémon and was getting ready to send out his last one against his opponent's Persian. The trainer had brown hair that curled up on the left side of his head and hazel eyes. His attire looked similar to what Ash used to wear during his first few journeys. The only differences were that his jacket was green with red sleeves and white lining and his hat, which was being wrung in his hands, was a more recent design, darker and the expo symbol shown in the sunlight.

They went inside to see if Ritchie and Harrison were there and found them standing near the back of the stadium. They all joined them and decided that they could stand for the last round. Ash, Brock, and May were not at all surprised that Meowth was being unforgiving in his attacks. Some grudges take years to get over. It was because of this ferocious barrage of attacks that Persian could not make a move to defend itself. With one final Iron Tail, Meowth was declared the winner. Unlike last time Ash saw Tyson's Meowth battle a Persian, he stood where he landed and would not look at his foe, demonstrating some restraint.

After the battle, Tyson met up with everyone else to see how the other battles went. Both Ritchie and Harrison won their opening battles fairly easily. They did not stay together long. Each trainer wanted to get a little training in before they ate lunch, so they all went their separate ways.

Ash, Misty, and company made their way back to their cabins and found Anabel waiting for them to begin Espeon's training.

xxx

_Venusaur stood battered as he faced off against a Pinsir. It was able to land many blows against him, but Venusaur was not going to go down without a fight. Once given the mental command from Ash, he launched Petal Dance. The Pinsir just stood in place and let the petals hit it. Once the attack ended, it was ordered to use Guillotine. It charged forward and attached to Venusaur's front right leg. It then lifted Venusaur slowly into the air, as if about to throw him, but folded under the weight of its opponent. Once the dust settled, both Pokémon were unconscious._

xxx

Match two was more difficult than the first, but that was to be expected. Ash had been in countless tournaments before, so it did not faze him when he lost his first Pokémon of the tournament. Venusaur stood strong but eventually succumbed to the opposing trainer's Pinsir. Ash chose Butterfree to battle the opponent's Xatu and ended up winning the match. This battle was later in the day and allowed everyone to watch Ritchie's, Harrison's, and Tyson's battles, all of which were won by them.

After taking his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center and leaving Lucario there so that Nurse Joy could give him a more thorough exam before his first battle, he told everyone good night. It was almost midnight, and everyone was sound asleep. Well, most everybody.

"This is why you shouldn't battle this late in the day. You probably won't be able to fall asleep until morning," Misty said as she watched Ash pace the room. She was sitting on the bed with Pikachu curled up at the foot of the bed.

"You know once I get going, nothing can stop me. At least tomorrow's battle is a little earlier than today's." He stopped and stood in front of the window and looked out. It was a fairly starlit night with no traces of clouds. Ash kept staring while his body twitched.

"Will you take it easy? It looks like you're about to explode."

Ash turned his head and gave her a smile before pacing the room again. Misty just sighed and let Marill out of her Poké Ball so that she could have someone to talk to that was not on the verge of exploding.

After a while, Ash stopped pacing a turned to face Misty, who by this point looked half asleep with Marill wrapped in her arms. He walked over to her and gave her light nudge.

"Hey, you want to take a walk with me?"

"You do realize I am about ready to fall asleep?" she asked with one eye slightly opened.

"Yeah, but I need to do something and walking alone just doesn't seem like fun."

"Why not take your Pokémon with you. I'm sure you would want to talk with them before the match tomorrow."

"They know what I'm going to say. I don't think they need to hear it one more time. Everyone is ready. I asked you because we haven't really been able to talk much since we got here. I'm either training or hanging out with our friends."

"We've only been here three days, Ash. Once the tournament is over, we'll have plenty of time to talk, just the two of us."

"Just face it Mist, we both know how this is going to end," he said with a sly smile.

"It was worth a shot." She got up and put Marill back into her Poké Ball. She followed him out of the cabin, making sure not to disturb Brock and Lucy as they left. She did not dare ask where their walk would take them because she knew he would not tell her. Sometimes it was because he wanted to surprise her and other times he truly did not know where he wanted to go, but they always enjoyed the time together.

As they walked, they began talking about his battles and what to expect for his next one. Of course, he was not going to tell her who he was going to use during the battle and enjoyed watching her struggle to think for once. He trusted her to keep his choices a secret, but he enjoyed watching her react to some of his more outlandish choices. That got them all the way to the lake, and they stood there watching the moon's reflection.

After a brief silence, he pulled out one of his Poké Balls and released Lapras.

"How about a moonlit cruse around the lake before we turn back?"

"Do you think you could sit still for that long?" she asked with a smirk.

"Very funny. It won't take long," he said as he held out a hand to help her climb on. Once they were settled, he told Lapras "Just a few times around and end right back here."

Lapras started with a nice even pace and stayed fairly close to the shoreline. Every once in a while, Ash would ask him to stop so that he could show Misty different star formations that could be seen as Pokémon. Occasionally, she would ask for his Pokédex so that she could get a better idea of what he was trying to show her. After a few laps around, they changed their positions so that Ash was leaning up against Lapras' neck and Misty rested in his arms.

"Do you think we should be heading back?"

"Maybe once more around. I am enjoying this too much to call it a night just yet," he said with a yawn.

"Looks like somebody finally settled down."

"Looks like it."

"Just don't fall asleep on me. It's difficult enough to wake you. Just imagine how hard it would be for me to carry your sleeping body all the way back to the cabin."

"You won't have to worry about that. Just take Tauros out and have him carry me back if you have to. But you look just as tired as I do, so I don't know if we will ever get to that point."

Misty did not say anything in reply. Instead, she proved him right by snuggling closer to his chest. Once they were on the last turn, Ash asked, "You ready to head back?"

He did not get a reply. He looked down and saw that she was sound asleep. He smiled and rubbed her shoulder gently. He then turned his head to Lapras and whispered to him to rest here for the night. There were no complaints from him and immediately drifted off to sleep. Ash stayed awake for a few minutes more staring up at the sky. Just before he was about to drift off into dreamland, he saw Mewtwo sweep across the sky.

xxx

The day started like most any other. Brock was the first to wake and went to get the Pokémon's breakfast ready. Lucy soon followed and was the one to greet Professor Oak, Delia, and Lucario, who they picked up on their way over to their cabin, at the door.

"How are you feeling this morning, Lucario?" Brock asked as he handed him a bowl with his specially made Pokémon food.

_Just as good as any other day. I don't see why Ash continually frets over my health when it's obvious that I'm completely healed._

"You should know by now that's how he is. He cares for everyone and wants to make sure you are strong enough to handle a battle. And don't say you've been in many since your accident. What you do in training is nothing like what you will expect in an actual battle."

"I think it was a wise decision on his part. If he truly wants to win this tournament, he needs all of his Pokémon at full strength, and you're no exception. Speaking of him, don't you think we should wake him up so he can get something to eat before his battle?" Professor Oak asked.

"I would, but I don't want to open the door and see something I probably shouldn't," Brock said.

"I know my son wouldn't be doing what I think you're suggesting, Brock, but if it makes you feel better, I'll go in and check on them," Delia said as she got up from her seat.

She made her way to his bedroom door and knocked. After hearing no response, she slowly eased open the door. Much to her surprise, the only one in the room was Pikachu, and he was still asleep.

"Brock! Are you sure he slept here last night?"

"Of course he did. Is he not there?"

"No. The only one in here is Pikachu. Where do you think he could have gone?"

"Don't worry, Delia. I'm sure they couldn't have gotten far. He wouldn't want to miss his battle today. He might have just gotten up early to work with his team for today."

_I can go out and look for them. He can't hide from me._

"Let's wait until after we eat. I'm sure he will show up eventually."

xxx

Sitting in the middle of the lake, Lapras stirred slightly and woke up feeling the sun's rays progressively heating up his back save for the spots that were covered by his two passengers. He shook himself awake and stretched his neck. After a few minutes, he shot a Water Gun straight up in the air in an attempt to wash himself.

As the water droplets began to fall and hit Ash and Misty, they began to stir. Ash was the first to wake and notice what was going on. "Hey, you mind waiting for us to get off before you start washing yourself?"

Lapras immediately stopped and craned his neck back to give Ash a cheeky little smile. They both laughed, waking up Misty in the process.

"What's so funny? Why are we still out on the lake?"

"Nothing, Mist. I thought it would be nice to sleep under the stars last night, so when I noticed you were out, I told Lapras to take a rest."

"You could miss your battle because of this."

"Don't worry about that. It's in the afternoon, and it couldn't be any later than ten."

"Just making sure you're still keeping focused on the tournament. We should probably be getting back to the cabin. Brock and Pikachu are probably worried about us."

"True, the only one I'm worried about is Lucy. I don't want that stare again."

"I don't think we have to worry about that too much. I think Brock's softened her a little. Remember when we introduced her to Ritchie? She didn't glare me down like she used to."

"Well they have been dating for over a year. He has to have rubbed off on her at some point," he said as he directed Lapras to return to the shore.

"True, I'm just waiting for me to rub off on you."

"You will be waiting awhile then."

Once they reached shore, he returned Lapras to his Poké Ball and made their way to the cabin. As soon as Ash opened the door, they were greeted with a Thunderbolt.

"Morning to you to, Pikachu," Ash said from his position on the ground.

"Where were you two this morning? You had me worried," Delia said as she walked over to the door with a somewhat displeased look on her face.

"We just went for a walk last night and spent the night out on the lake. That isn't a crime now, is it?" he asked as he helped Misty to her feet and brushed himself off.

"No, but next time, leave a note or something."

"We'll try that next time."

"You two are lucky I made enough food for the two of you. It might not be all that warm, but at least it's something," Brock said as he placed two plates on the table.

"You couldn't have warmed it up for us?" Misty asked.

"Consider this your punishment for last night," Lucy said with a smirk.

xxx

_Blastoise shot out of the water and slammed into the opponent's Seaking. He stood on the platform and waited for the ref to make the call. Once the call was made, both Pokémon were returned. The choices surprised everyone, Ash with Heracross and the opponent with an Umbreon. Heracross led off with Focus Punch but missed as the Umbreon leapt to another platform. Heracross was then hit in the back with a Shadow Ball. Heracross landed in the water and managed to pull himself out and shook himself dry. Umbreon then unleashed Dark Pulse, but Heracross managed to fly away before he could be hit. He then flew around to try and prepare for Fury Attack. The opposing trainer called for Protect, but was surprised when Heracross showed no signs of slowing. Instead, he switched attacks a few feet away from the green barrier and landed a Brick Break that sent Umbreon into the water._

xxx

"Face it sir, Mewtwo won't give up its position. The odds of this thing actually existing are slim as it is. Maybe we should refocus our resources elsewhere. There is more known about the locations of the other Legendries than there is about a creature that supposedly was created by you."

The boardroom was silent for quite some time. Everyone but the man who spoke up tried to avert their eyes away from Giovanni. They knew what happened when someone critiques the orders of the boss. When neither one made a sound or a move, everyone started to bring their gaze back up to the head of the boardroom table. Giovanni was simply sitting in his seat with a scowl on his face and his hand resting on his faithful Persian.

It was not much longer before the silence was broken by his laughter. It was the kind of laugh that made everyone even more nervous than before. Once he was done, he stood up and walked to the man's seat. He stood right behind the man and could see the sweat begin to form on his slightly balding head.

"Do you question my plans? Or is it your lack of faith that makes you doubt our success? I have personally made sure every little detail was correct, and you should know very well that I never chase fairytales. That being said, you may have a point. Mewtwo, yes it does exist, won't willingly show itself unless we force it out. We've tried capturing the clones, but it doesn't appear that it wants to help them. Based on what little information we do have, it would be foolish to proceed with its capture until we have more data. I will make that your job," he said as he leaned forward so that his face was right next to the sweaty man. "This way, you will have your proof that it exists."

"Yes sir," he managed to say amazingly without stuttering.

Giovanni then stood straight up and began circling the table. "Good, now, as for our other projects, we will begin relocating most of the agents searching for Mewtwo to other areas that may provide us with a Legendary Pokémon. Our scientists will continue their work on the cloning project. From what I have heard, we are nearly ready to begin testing. Now, if any of you still have doubts, I want to know now. We don't need anyone who isn't willing to give everything to this organization. If you are unwilling, stand and leave. My secretary will lead you out." As he finished, he stopped walking and stood with his back facing the rest of the room.

Everyone knew what would happen if they did as he said. There was no way around it. They were used to swallowing their doubts and blindly following orders. This was no different from some of the other outlandish ideas he had in the past, but the reward would be greater if they stayed. Everyone was thinking these things and made up their minds to stay.

Giovanni finally turned around, feeling that he had given them adequate time to make their decision, and smiled. "Good, now, let's get back to business."

xxx

_Feraligatr lay face down on the frozen battle field defeated with the opponent's Cloyster grinning viciously at him. Once recalled, Ash waited no time in releasing his final Pokémon, Omastar. Omastar opened up with a Hydro Pump, which was blocked when Cloyster used Withdraw. The next order was for Shell Smash, which left the shell discarded to one side of the field and revealed the rest of Omastar's body to resemble an amorphous blob behind his face. To follow up, he used Stone Edge, causing a wave of sharp rocks to come crashing down onto the immobile Cloyster._

xxx

As the tournament progressed, the group began liking Ash's chances to make it to the final battle. From the way all of them were battling, it would seem that all four of them would make it to the round of sixteen. Each of them pulled out impressive victories, whether they were complete blowouts or closely contested, that were being talked about throughout the Plateau. Quickly, they were becoming the favorites to win the tournament.

The last day of preliminary rounds, however, brought the first big surprise of the tournament. Tyson, whose only major setback in the tournament was that first battle on the Grass Field, was trailing in the number count two to one with Metagross being his only one left. It fought hard to even up the count but fell to the opponent's Marowak. After the battle, everyone went to see how Tyson was handling the loss.

"Were there things I could've done differently? Of course. Doesn't mean I regret my decisions during the battle. As the saying goes, 'any given day on any given field.' This just gives the rest of you more reason to go out and win the tournament."

After Tyson put an end to any more sympathy that was likely to come from the group, they all made their way to draw the Magikarp. Once that was taken care of, the final bracket was set. Ritchie and Harrison were on one side of the bracket and would not face each other until the semifinals. Ash was on the other side, meaning he would not face either of his rivals unless one of them made it to the finals with him.

Back at the cabin, Ash had laid out different sketches that Tracey made while his team trained on the floor. He stacked the sketches of those he had already used on the couch that he was leaning against because he did not want to use the same Pokémon unless he wanted to use them in the Championship Match if he made it that far.

"Why not use Dratini? She could use some experience," Misty said as she picked up the sketch with Dratini on it.

"I don't know. She is strong, but what about some of the others. All of my evolved Eevee need experience as well. Not to mention Skarmory and Steelix."

"Plus it might not be a bad idea to use some of your Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova Pokémon. What do you know about your opponent?"

"She is from Kanto, a graduate of Pokémon Tech, has used only five Pokémon the entire tournament, and used her Tangela in each battle. The other Pokémon she used are Wartortle, Nidorina, Doduo, and Electabuzz."

"Hey Ash, you want to join us for…What are you doing?" Without either their notice, May, Drew, and Dawn had entered the cabin. May was the one who spoke and was surprised to see the floor covered with Tracey's sketches.

Dawn knelt down and picked up a few of the sketches and asked, "Are these all your Pokémon?"

"Yeah, Tracey drew all of these, and I'm just trying to figure out who to use tomorrow."

"Well maybe you could think better if you had food in your stomach. Come on, you haven't eaten anything since before your battle."

"Not yet. I want to make sure I pick the right ones. I don't want what happened last time I battled here to happen again."

"Don't worry about that. You are so much better than you were then. But I'm hungry, and we promised your mother that we would get you some food. So, how about you use…" May began to look around the room and picked two pictures before walking over to Misty and taking Dratini's picture. "Use these three tomorrow."

"You know nothing about my opponent, and your idea of help is to blindly select my team?"

"You can win no matter who you choose. Your strength is thinking on your feet no matter the matchups. Now let's go get food. I'm starving."

* * *

><p>Now, odds of a speedy second update are slim. I have not worked on the next chapter yet since I made up my mind on how to do these chapters. Plus, Thanksgiving is this Thursday which means I will be home which means I will not be working on this at all. I'm also trying to figure out some other personal things that have been absorbing my mind lately. Anyway, be patient. I do intend to finish this. I have an ending somewhat figured out already, just getting there will take time, a lot of time.<p> 


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